“MAS is working hard to rectify the situation and fulfil our obligation for the pilgrims to complete their umrah safely.

“Meanwhile, the pilgrims have been given accommodation at hotels and the airline is working hard to normalise operations as soon as possible,” said MAS in a statement, published in The Star Online today.

MAS explained that Sunday’s flight to Medina was rescheduled due to the grounding of its aircraft, which was “necessary for urgent repairs due to technical issues”.

The pilgrims were informed on Saturday evening that the flight to Medina at 1.30pm the next day had been cancelled.

The flight has since been rescheduled three times and is currently set to take off at 3am tomorrow.

MAS is also working with travel agents to accommodate the pilgrims’ travel plans following the delay, said the airline.