The Travel of an Elderly Woman Without a Mahram

Question:
An elderly woman, who is sixty-five years old and will soon arrive in the Kingdom, asks: Is it permissible for her to travel by plane from Cairo to Riyadh in the company of one of her female relatives and that relative’s husband? And does her lack of financial means to travel to her by bringing her along constitute a dire necessity that permits her to travel alone or in the company of one of her female relatives?

Answer:
This is in the hadith of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him): “It is not permissible for a woman…” This is a general statement covering both the old and the young; the hadith is general. It is not permissible for a woman who believes in Allah and the Last Day to travel except with a mahram. This includes the young girl, it includes the old woman, it includes the young woman among the women, and it includes the poor and the rich. It is not permissible for her to travel except with a mahram.