Australian Faces Travel Ordeal While Stranded in Saudi Arabia

Adam Zanaty, a resident of Melbourne, embarked on a journey to Saudi Arabia in early February with the intention of performing a pilgrimage to the sacred cities of Mecca and Medina. His plan was to coincide this spiritual endeavor with the holy month of Ramadan, a period that holds significant religious importance for Muslims worldwide.

However, Zanaty’s plans were thrown into disarray as conflict erupted in the Middle East. The region was plunged into turmoil when a war involving the United States, Israel, and Iran broke out, pulling several neighboring countries, including Saudi Arabia, into the fray. This development disrupted many travelers, including Zanaty, who found their return journeys indefinitely postponed.

Annually, millions of Muslims undertake the Umrah pilgrimage, visiting Mecca and Medina, which are revered as Islam’s most sacred sites, located in western Saudi Arabia. The pilgrimage is a deeply spiritual experience, often scheduled to align with Ramadan, a month marked by fasting, reflection, and prayer.

This particular year, the outbreak of conflict has led to a significant number of pilgrims being stranded in Saudi Arabia. The escalation has severely affected air travel, with flights out of the Middle East being largely suspended. Only a limited number of flights are operational, and those come at a hefty cost, leaving many unable to return home as planned.

This year, millions have found themselves stuck in Saudi Arabia, as flights out of the Middle East remain grounded except for a very expensive few.

It’s also led to challenges for visitors trying to find a place to sleep.

“So to find accommodation now in Mecca and Medina is close to impossible. If you go on Airbnb or booking or any website, it’s extremely hard to find a place to stay in one of these two cities,” Zanaty told SBS Arabic, speaking from Medina.

When he first planned his travel, Zanaty had booked to depart the country on 1 March, the day the country’s airspace would then close as Iran traded strikes with the US and Israel, leaving him stuck.

He then had to scramble to figure out other ways to return to Melbourne, needing to resume work and look after his son.

After three days he managed to book a ticket home through Kuala Lumpur, but doubt remains as to whether it will actually take off.

The tickets for the 27-hour flight cost roughly $US2,000 ($2,850), he said.

Zanaty says his friend, who is stranded in Lebanon, also managed to secure a ticket flying out of the country at a price of $US7,000 ($9,970).

While Zanaty was grateful that he could afford the ticket, he was worried about those who couldn’t do so.

“Imagine this was someone … who didn’t have this amount of money that they have to spend to get back, they’ll be stuck here because no one’s helping.

“If it wasn’t for my family, my son would be struggling big time.”

The US embassy in Saudi Arabia was bombed by Iranian drones this week, as a senior US admiral said Iran has launched over 500 ballistic missiles and over 2,000 drones in retaliatory attacks so far.

Zanaty criticised the Australian government for a lack of engagement with Australians in Saudi Arabia after the war broke out.

“We haven’t had any statements from any level of government or diplomat,” he said.

“So even when my relatives called [them], their advice was to stay where you were until [they] know what [they] are going to do. But how long can we stay? We have to come home. We’ve got families. We’ve got kids,” he said.

He said Australians in Saudi Arabia desperately need the government’s help, just as much as citizens stuck in other countries do.

When asked about plans for stranded Australians on Tuesday, Defence Minister Richard Marles said the federal government was “working through contingencies” but would not be drawn on what exactly they were.

He said airspace closure was a “significant limitation” and when it began to open again, commercial flights would resume soonest.

“Our focus is making sure that we are getting information through to people as quickly as we can,” he said.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong on Wednesday confirmed that 200 Australians stranded by the outbreak of the war in the Middle East had boarded the first flight from Dubai to Sydney.

She said there are 115,000 Australians in the region and announced six crisis centre teams will be deployed to help consular staff on the ground, undertaking massive repatriation efforts.

— This story was produced in collaboration with SBS Arabic.

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