Air India temporarily bans carrying Zamzam on Hyderabad route

Jeddah: The temporary ban by Air India on carrying Zamzam water by non-Haj pilgrims on the busy Hyderabad and Cochin sectors from Jeddah during the peak holiday season has triggered an outcry among expatriates hailing from Telangana State and Kerala.

Social media has been abuzz in the last two days as Netizens and various community organisations expressed their ire over the ban.

Most of the Muslims from the State travelling from Jeddah carry Islamic Holy water from Makkah known as Zamzam in their check-in baggage. This is in addition to regular baggage allowance.

Air India has banned carrying Zamzam with immediate effect, and the ban will last till September 15 when Haj flights come to an end. 

However, the ban is not applicable to Haj pilgrims returning to Hyderabad and Cochin and also all passengers travelling to other



destinations.

Explaining the reasons, Air India western region manager R. Prabhu Chandran said the airline had pressed into service an A-320 aircraft in place of Boeing 737 in Hyderabad and Cochin sectors during Haj season.

“The narrow bodied aircraft has constraints of space and weight forcing us to to reduce the number of passengers or weightage. Since we want to accommodate passengers, we have temporarily stopped accepting Zamzam on Hyderabad and Cochin sectors,” he said.

Chandran said that Air India allows 40 kg baggage allowance in addition to carrying Zamzam which weighs 10 kg, while baggage weight allowed on other routes is much lower.

Muslims consider Zamzam as sacred that can also cure aliments. It is sold at airports in Jeddah and Madinah on production of passport.