200 Kurdistan Umrah pilgrims stranded in Medina return home by land

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Around 200 Umrah pilgrims from the Kurdistan Region who had been stranded at Medina Airport have safely returned home via land routes, the Kurdistan Region’s Directorate of Hajj and Umrah said on Sunday, urging citizens to postpone planned trips amid ongoing regional disruptions.

The pilgrims arrived back in the Kurdistan Region on Sunday evening.

Karwan Stoni, the spokesperson for the Directorate of Hajj and Umrah, said the group had been stuck at Medina Airport due to the suspension of flights, caused by the ongoing conflict involving Israel, US and Iran. 

Addressing the continued suspension of air travel, he explained that as long as the regional situation remains unstable and flights are unavailable, authorities will be forced to return pilgrims by land.

“At this time, they [people] should postpone their Umrah trips until the situation comes to an end,” he said.

The joint US and Israeli attacks on Iran that began on Friday have triggered widespread airspace closures and flight cancellations across the Middle East, disrupting air traffic regionally and internationally.