The Ministry of Religious Affairs has given private Hajj operators three days to activate their Hajj packages for the 2027 pilgrimage.
The ministry has also warned that companies that fail to follow the order could lose their allocated Hajj quota.
Private Hajj quota remains largely unused
According to reports, bookings for the government Hajj scheme for 2027 have already been completed.
However, most of the quota given to private Hajj operators has not yet been used.
The ministry has also directed private Hajj companies to activate their packages under the Private Hajj Scheme 2027 by August 31.
Additionally, the companies that fail to do so may have their quota taken back.
The ministry has also sent letters to Hajj operators. It has asked them to activate all package categories according to their assigned quota.
Will unused quota be given to other companies?
Sources said that the three-day deadline is the final chance for Hajj companies to comply with the ministry’s instructions.
The ministry warned that the quota of companies that do not activate their packages could be confiscated.
The unused seats may then be given to other Hajj operators or moved to the government Hajj scheme.
All private Hajj packages must be activated through the Hajj Management System.
For the first time, pilgrims will be able to choose private Hajj packages through the ministry’s website.
Only 54 private Hajj bookings made
More than 71,000 seats have been given to private Hajj operators. However, only 54 bookings were made from the private quota in the last five days. This makes up only 0.1 per cent of the total quota.
Around 99.9 per cent of the private Hajj quota is still available. Sources said strict action may be taken against companies that fail to activate their packages before the deadline.
The collection of payments under the Private Hajj Scheme started on August 23. The ministry is collecting payments for 40 per cent of the seats allocated under the private scheme.