{
  "id": 16110007,
  "title": "Cancelled flights: 4,000 Indian Haj pilgrims stranded in Saudi; MEA says working on their early return",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/22/cancelled-flights-4-000-indian-haj-pilgrims-stranded-in-saudi-mea",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-22T21:39:07.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Indian Express - India",
    "slug": "the-indian-express-india",
    "url": "https://indianexpress.com/article/india/cancelled-flights-indian-haj-pilgrims-stranded-saudi-arabia-10932946/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) confirmed on Thursday that it is collaborating with tour operators and airlines to expedite the return of Indian Haj and Umrah pilgrims stranded in Saudi Arabia due to attacks on airport infrastructure. This statement followed a post by AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi, who expressed concern over thousands of pilgrims being stranded in Makkah and Madina. Owaisi specifically mentioned that four thousand pilgrims had flights cancelled with IndiGo, Akasa Air, and Air India, leaving them stranded.\n\nIn response, the MEA stated that the Indian Embassy in Riyadh and the Consulate in Jeddah are actively working with airlines and tour operators to facilitate the early return of the affected pilgrims. So far, approximately 3,000 stranded Umrah pilgrims have managed to return to India on available flights over the past week, along with over 10,000 regular Umrah pilgrims who had returned via scheduled flights.\n\nThe MEA also disclosed information about the establishment of control rooms to assist Indian citizens in Saudi Arabia. The ongoing disruptions in flight schedules have been attributed to the attacks on King Fahd International Airport in Dammam and King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [
    "MEA collaborating with airlines to return stranded Indian Haj pilgrims",
    "4,000 Indian Haj pilgrims' flights cancelled with IndiGo, Akasa Air, Air India",
    "3,000 Umrah pilgrims returned to India via available flights in past week"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "NDTV - India News",
        "title": "Around 3,000 Stranded Umrah Pilgrims Return From Saudi Over Past Week: Ministry",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/22/around-3-000-stranded-umrah-pilgrims-return-from-saudi-over-past-week",
        "published": "2026-10-22T22:06:50.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}