Umrah pilgrims depart after Maldivian flight delay resolved

Some Maldivian Umrah pilgrims have departed from Saudi Arabia after a technical problem delayed their flight to Male' today.

Flight Q2 6361, the national airline Maldivian’s largest aircraft, an Airbus A330-200 had been scheduled to leave Jeddah at 3:45pm Saudi time. The departure was pushed back after the fault was detected.

Hajj Corporation CEO Mohamed Shakeel said in a post on X that the issue had been resolved and the aircraft was now scheduled to depart at 6:00 pm Saudi time. All passengers were in good condition, he added.

A Maldivian official earlier told Mihaaru News that the return flight from Jeddah to Male' was delayed, although the airline has not confirmed the cause of the nearly two-hour hold-up.

During the school holidays, Hajj Corporation and a private group had arranged air transport for more than 750 pilgrims, with Maldivian operating direct flights between Male' and Jeddah.