Within two days of news outlets reporting Air India had temporarily banned the carriage of water from the revered Zamzam well in Mecca on two flights, the national carrier has apparently backtracked on the move.
On July 4, Air India issued a circular to travel agents in Saudi Arabia informing that carriage of Zamzam water on two flights—AI 966 (Jeddah-Hyderabad-Mumbai) and AI 964 (Jeddah-Kochi)—had been prohibited with immediate effect until September 15. Air India had cited “change of aircraft and limitation of seats” as the reason for the move.
On Tuesday, however, Air India issued a tweet on the Zamzam issue. Air India tweeted, “With reference to instructions regarding non carriage of Zamzam cans, on AI966 and AI964, we wish to clarify that passengers are allowed to carry Zamzam cans within their permissible baggage allowance. Please accept our apologies for the inconvenience caused.”
#FlyAI : With reference to instructions regarding non carriage of Zamzam cans, on AI966 and AI964, we wish to clarify that passengers are allowed to carry Zamzam cans within their permissible baggage allowance.
— Air India (@airindiain) July 9, 2019
Please accept our apologies for the inconvenience caused.
Zamzam is believed to be the well from which Allah miraculously brought forth water to feed Ishmael, the son of Abraham, a patriarch in Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Zamzam water is revered by Muslims, who often bring it back to their native countries after Hajj.
The temporary ban by Air India had created disquiet in the expatriate community, according to the Khaleej Times. The Times of India reported Maharashtra Congress MLA Amin Patel had written to the ministries of civil aviation and minority affairs, requesting them to ask Air India to arrange Zamzam water for Hajj pilgrims.
Interestingly, the CEO of the Hajj committee, M.A. Khan, told The Times of India that Air India was contractually obligated to give a 5L can of Zamzam water to each pilgrim returning from Hajj.
The baggage details section of the Air India website shows the weight allowances for Jeddah. For return flights to Kochi and Hyderabad, the check-in baggage limit is shown as 45kg, while for flights to Mumbai and Delhi, the limit is 40kg. On Monday, Telangana Today quoted an Air India official as claiming the baggage limit for Jeddah was 40kg of check-in luggage and 10kg of Zamzam water.
