A viral video showing dozens of suitcases lined up along a roadside has drawn attention to complaints from Haj pilgrims who claim their luggage went missing after arriving in Ahmedabad from Saudi Arabia and was returned several days later.
In the video, a man identifying himself as one of the affected pilgrims said he arrived at Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport from Madinah on June 12 aboard an Akasa Air flight but did not receive his luggage upon arrival.
The speaker claimed that 126 bags were unaccounted for when the flight landed. According to him, passengers were contacted on June 16 and informed that their luggage had reached Ahmedabad.
Footage shared online showed rows of suitcases placed beside a road. The man alleged that the baggage had been left there for collection rather than being distributed through a designated system.
Watch the video here
He further claimed that many pilgrims travelled in special vehicles to retrieve their belongings after being notified that the luggage had arrived.
Criticising the handling of the baggage, the speaker urged the Haj Committee to review its arrangements with the airline. He said pilgrims spend considerable amounts of money to perform Haj and deserve better services.
Social media reactions
The video generated widespread discussion online, with users questioning the handling of the delayed baggage.
One social media user tagged the airline and authorities, writing, “If you can’t provide proper services, don’t do business.” Another commenter called on the Haj Committee to pay closer attention to arrangements for returning pilgrims, while some users questioned how the luggage had been transported and stored outside airport premises.
Akasa Air had not publicly responded to the claims at the time of writing. The allegations made in the video could not be independently verified.
Similar complaints from Lucknow pilgrims
The development comes days after returning Haj pilgrims at Lucknow’s Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport reported missing valuables and damaged luggage after arriving from Jeddah.
Videos shared online showed passengers alleging that items had been stolen from their baggage and that several suitcases had arrived with broken locks, prompting protests at the airport.
Haj 2026 pilgrimage
According to Saudi Arabia’s General Authority for Statistics, Haj 1447 AH/2026 attracted 1,707,301 pilgrims. Of them, 1,546,655 arrived from outside the Kingdom through air, land and sea ports, while 160,646 were citizens and residents performing the pilgrimage from within Saudi Arabia.
More than 1.7 million Muslims gathered on the plains of Arafat during the peak of the pilgrimage. Haj, the fifth pillar of Islam, is an obligation for Muslims who are physically and financially able to undertake the journey at least once in their lifetime.
