Makkah: "I messaged all my family to tell them not to worry. I said, insya-Allah, Allah SWT will protect me and all the pilgrims here." Those were the composed remarks of Mat Isa Hassan, 65, a farmer from Sabak Bernam, Selangor, upon his arrival in Makkah following an unexpected disruption to his pilgrimage journey. The flight carrying hundreds of Malaysian pilgrims was diverted to Muscat, Oman on Monday due to a technical issue.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, despite the unforeseen situation, Mat Isa expressed that his faith in Allah, along with the strong cooperation among fellow pilgrims while in Oman, helped keep everyone calm. "My family in Malaysia was worried when they learned the flight did not proceed directly to Jeddah, but I managed to contact them and told them not to be overly concerned. Alhamdulillah, everything went smoothly," he said upon arrival at the pilgrims' accommodation in Rehab Al Janadriyah.
Meanwhile, housewife Bibit Tugiman, 74, shared her experience of being initially unaware of the situation until informed by the flight crew that the aircraft had landed in Oman. "I was happy and moved.actually, I did not know what had happened. I only realised the plane had landed in Oman when we were about to disembark. When I was told it was all for safety reasons, I accepted it calmly," she said, holding back tears. Bibit expressed her gratitude upon finally arriving in the Holy Land after a longer-than-expected journey.
The Lembaga Tabung Haji (TH) reported that flight KT051, which landed at Muscat International Airport due to a technical issue, safely arrived at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah at 5.33 am local time. All 278 pilgrims were then taken directly to their accommodation at Rehab Al Janadriyah and were received by Malaysian Haj Delegation head Mohd Hisham Harun, alongside TH management officials and personnel who were on standby.
Mohd Hisham affirmed TH's commitment to prioritising the welfare and safety of pilgrims, even when facing unforeseen circumstances involving flight operations. "Although there was an unavoidable situation due to technical issues with the flight, through the efforts of all parties, all affected pilgrims were safely brought to the Holy Land and the haj operations continue as usual," he stated.