(a) whether Umrah Visa have been resumed after ten months;
(b) if so, whether there are no regular flights to Saudi Arabia for these pilgrims;
(c) if so, whether there is an urgent need to start direct flights to Saudi Arabia under Air Bubble till the regular operation of flights starts; and
(d) if so, the steps taken or being taken by the Government on the demand of pilgrims in this regard?
The Minister of State (IC) in the Ministry of CIVIL AVIATION
(Shri Hardeep Singh Puri)
(a): Saudi Arabia has suspended the entry of passengers directly from India since September 22, 2020 due to the covid-19 pandemic. The Consulate General of India, Jeddah has informed that Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah have given licenses to Indian Umrah tour operators for bringing Umrah pilgrims, however, Umrah visa is tied to various logistic arrangements including transportation, and as such, Umrah visa has not been issued to Indian Umrah tour operators.
(b) to (d): Presently, there are no scheduled international commercial passenger services between India and Saudi Arabia. An Air Bubble agreement proposal has already been sent by India to Saudi Arabia.
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