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Hajj Flights of NAS

Further delays worry pilgrims

Md Fazlur Rahman
Sufferings of hajj pilgrims continue, as more flights of National Air Services (NAS) were delayed for longer periods contrary to the claims made by the airline authorities.
Passengers complained that they had been staying in hotels and the hajj camp at Ashkona for the last two days as their Jeddah flight did not leave on September 25 as scheduled.
Mohammad Mizan and his wife arrived at the airport on Tuesday to catch their NAS Air flight to Jeddah, but had to stay for a day at the hajj camp and another day at a boarding house.
"Nobody informed us that the flight has been delayed," he told The Daily Star.
Pilgrims flocking at the airport from across the country shared similar tales of their plight caused by the two-day delay.
Leader of a group of 84 hajj pilgrims, Zakir Hossain claimed neither the airline nor the travel agents informed him about the delay." I was informed by other sources,"
SEE PAGE 6 COL 1 FROM PAGE 20 he added.
Robiul Islam, a school teacher in Pabna whose father finally flew for Jeddah yesterday, said his father and 29 other hajj pilgrims arrived at the airport on September 25 at 10:30pm.
They were supposed to fly at 1:30am but were told that their flight would depart at 4:00am instead. Later, his father called to inform him that they were staying at the hajj camp.
“This should not be the system. The pilgrims are mostly the elderly and they should not be dragged around like this," said Robiul.
He said that even the food supplied by the travel agent at the Hajj Camp was usually late.
Earlier, a top official of NAS Air in Dhaka had said that passengers would be delayed by only 24 hours. The airline had also put up a notice at the dedicated entry point for hajj pilgrims in this regard.
Cancellations of three of its flights on Monday night had left 1,200 of its passengers stranded.
Yesterday, the airline made a statement apologising for the delays.
As of Wednesday, the airline carried 4,110 hajj pilgrims
and said that it has enough flights to carry the remaining 11,900 passengers.
Meanwhile, the flight disorder by Biman Bangladesh Airlines has continued to disrupt travel plans of general passengers, mostly migrant workers.
Nur Hossain was supposed to leave on September 10 for Kuwait but was informed that his flight has been rescheduled to September 19.
"I came to the airport on September 19 only to be told that I cannot depart before September 27," Nur said.
"Iwill have toface penalty for beingso late for work," he said.
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