Ahmedabad: A viral video showing scores of suitcases lined up along a roadside has drawn attention to complaints from Haj pilgrims who say dozens of their bags went missing after their Akasa Air flight from Madinah landed at Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport and were returned only days later.
In the clip, a man identifying himself as one of the affected pilgrims said the flight arrived on June 12 but about 126 pieces of luggage were unaccounted for. Passengers were reportedly contacted on June 16 and told the baggage had reached Ahmedabad. Footage circulating online shows rows of suitcases placed beside a road; the pilgrim alleged the bags had been left there for collection rather than processed through airport or Haj Committee systems.
Several pilgrims are said to have travelled in special vehicles to retrieve their belongings after being notified. The speaker criticised the Haj Committee’s coordination with the airline, saying pilgrims pay large sums for the journey and expect reliable handling of their luggage.
The video prompted widespread discussion on social media, with users tagging the airline and authorities and questioning how the baggage was transported and stored outside airport premises. Akasa Air had not issued a public response at the time of filing, and the claims in the footage could not be independently verified.
The incident follows similar complaints from returning Haj pilgrims at Lucknow, who alleged missing valuables and damaged bags after arriving from Jeddah; those reports led to protests at Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport.
Saudi statistics show Haj 1447 AH/2026 attracted about 1.7 million pilgrims, of whom roughly 1.55 million came from outside the Kingdom. Haj remains a major annual movement requiring extensive coordination among airlines, airports and organising bodies.