West Asia War Impact: Last-Minute Rs 10k Fare Hike Leaves Haj Pilgrims Scrambling For Funds

On a warm Wednesday afternoon at the makeshift camps near Turkman Gate, a bus stood ready to depart for the airport, carrying pilgrims on their journey to the city of Mecca.

Many had arrived to bid their relatives farewell. With identity cards hanging around their necks, families helped each other to load luggage onto the bus, exchanging tearful smiles and long hugs before departure.

Syed Athar Ali too prepped to leave with his wife. He had travelled to Delhi from Pilibhit, having arranged his Haj through the Delhi State Haj Committee (DSHC) 

India’s quota for this year’s Haj pilgrimage stands at 1,75,025 pilgrims. Of these, the country’s Haj Committee has arranged travel for at least 1,22,525 pilgrims, while the remaining pilgrims will travel through private tour operators.

The Haj Committee has fixed the pilgrimage cost at Rs 3,36,600 per person in 2026. Ali, who is travelling with his wife, completed the payment in three installments. However, he later received a notification on his phone informing him that an additional Rs 10,000 had to be paid.

“We didn’t know what to do, we have to go,” he said.

The elderly couple, who run a small corner shop to support themselves, said they did not want to depend on their children for the additional expense. “We don’t want to be a burden on them. We will have to arrange the money on our own, no matter how,” Naseema said.

West Asia war impact

A circular issued on April 28 directed all Haj pilgrims to pay an additional Rs 10,000 by May 15, irrespective of their embarkation point. The decision came after airlines sought a revision in base fares due to rising Aviation Turbine Fuel prices amid the ongoing situation in West Asia.

The announcement has left many pilgrims scrambling to arrange additional funds at the last moment. Mohsin Ali, Deputy Executive Officer at the DSHC, said the committee operates on a “no profit no loss” basis and that “airfare has been increased due to the hike in petrol prices”. The Delhi State Haj Committee functions under the guidance and regulations of the Ministry of Minority Affairs through the Haj Committee of India. He added that costs charged by private tour operators have also gone up. 

“We are aware of the people’s situation,” Mohsin said, adding that people are still arriving to collect their documents; they are promising that they will give the due amount in some time. 

“We have not stopped anyone from leaving, even if they have not paid the amount, because many people are unable to collect the amount at the last moment, it becomes Rs 40,000 for four people.”

However, several pilgrims said there was no flexibility when it came to paying the additional amount. Ruqsana, who had travelled from Bareilly, said her family survives on the modest income earned by drivers in the household.

“We have been saving money for years. We planned our entire household budget around this pilgrimage. We crossed so many hurdles to make this journey possible. And now it has come down to another Rs 10,000 per person,” she said.

“We are three people travelling, and Rs 30,000 is not a small amount for us,” Ruqsana added, saying that they had to borrow money from neighbours and friends. “I don’t know how we will repay it, the government should help us.”

The Haj Committee of India’s circular has created discontent among applicants and reactions from political leaders as well. 

Kiren Rijiju, the Union Minister for Minority Affairs, said on X that amid a sharp global rise in Aviation Turbine Fuel prices, driven by ongoing geopolitical tensions, Airlines sought a steep hike of $300–$400 per pilgrim. “We also can't blame Airlines for the rise in ATF price. Through negotiations, we ensured the increase was restricted to just $100, saving each pilgrim a significant amount.”

He also stated that for countless families, Haj is a “once-in-a-lifetime dream nurtured over years. I deeply respect that sentiment.” 

Seeking accountability

However, Rajya Sabha MP Naseer Hussain questioned why this burden was being imposed at the final stage, after full payment was already collected. “Even an additional $100–$150 per pilgrim is not a marginal adjustment,” he said. 

“But the problem is how did the fuel crisis arise? How did they (the government) mismanage the whole thing? We were asking for a discussion on energy crisis in West Asia. They didn't do that,” Hussain told Outlook.  

He added that another complaint with the Haj Committee is that they have put as many as 20 people in one room. “So if the government of India has taken the responsibility of monitoring and supervising and providing facilities for the Hajis, then it should be up to the mark,” he said. 

Around 20,000 pilgrims are departing from Delhi for this year’s Haj pilgrimage, including nearly 3,200 from Delhi itself. There are around 13,500 pilgrims from Bihar, 11,000 pilgrims from Uttar Pradesh, 1,600 pilgrims from Haryana, 1,300 from Uttarakhand, 450 from Rajasthan, 309 from Punjab, 272 from Jharkhand, 205 from Madhya Pradesh and around 1000 from Jammu and Kashmir. 

Smaller groups include 61 pilgrims from West Bengal, 60 from Himachal Pradesh, 35 from Chhattisgarh, 28 from Assam, 14 from Chandigarh, seven from Kerala, six from Odisha, two from Andhra Pradesh and two from Ladakh.

Imran Khan, a private Delhi-based Haj operator said that the private packages for Haj go up to Rs 10 lakh. He said that while the Committee purchases flight tickets in bulk, private contractors get them based on the quota they receive. “After tickets for flights had been purchased, the circular was released,” he said that the additional price for private flights is Rs 15,000.

Referring to pilgrims already in Saudi Arabia, he said there had been complaints about the lack of food arrangements. “A person goes to Haj to worship, not to worry about food after having paid the amount,” he said.

The Government of India ended subsidies for Muslims heading to Mecca to perform Haj in 2018. Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, the then minister for minority affairs, said that the move was part of “a policy to empower minorities with dignity and without appeasement,” Al Jazeera reported. “Hajj subsidy funds will be used for the educational empowerment of girls and women from minority communities,” he added. 

However, amid the chaos and anxiety over rising costs, Nabeer Khan sat quietly in a corner of a camp near Delhi’s Haj House, unable to contain his joy at finally being able to undertake the Haj pilgrimage, the world’s largest annual gathering of Muslims, obligatory once in a lifetime for all adult Muslims who are physically and financially capable of making the journey.

A small farmer with only a few bighas of land to his name, Khan said he had spent years saving money to fulfil the dream of visiting Mecca. “This was my dream. I am happy that I am finally able to do it now,” he said.

While the additional Rs 10,000 charge came as a shock at the last moment, Khan said nothing could now stand between him and the pilgrimage.