What is the ruling on traveling by plane without a mahram, given that my mahram left me at the first airport and then my second mahram picked me up at the second airport, since my travel was necessary?

The questioner : The questioner says: What is the ruling on a woman traveling by plane without a mahram, given that her mahram left her at the first airport and then her second mahram picked her up at the second airport, and that her travel was necessary?

The Shaykh : I do not see it as permissible for a woman to travel without a mahram, whether by plane or by car, due to the generality of the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): If someone says that the plane was not known in the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), we say: Yes, it was not known, but it is known to Allah (Mighty and Majestic). If the ruling were different, the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) would have clarified it sufficiently, either explicitly or by indication. Since he did not exclude any of that, we know that a woman traveling without a mahram is forbidden by plane and otherwise. As for the claim of some that the plane is like the markets where men and women gather without mahrams, the answer is that the market is not travel, and the legal ruling is tied to travel. As long as riding a plane from one country to another is called travel, she is a traveler. As for the excuse of some that she is safe in the plane because her mahram sees her off until she boards and the other one picks her up when she arrives, this is not correct; it is not a valid excuse.
First, the mahram who sees her off usually does not reach her to the plane door, and she remains in the waiting hall, then boards with the people. Second, even if he did take her to the plane door and she boarded before his eyes, the plane may encounter something that prevents it from taking off, whether due to a technical fault, a change in weather, or any other reason, and this does happen. If the passengers are told to disperse, who will shelter her? And if it happens that it takes off at the scheduled time, is its continued journey guaranteed to the airport she intended? No, it is not guaranteed. Something may happen in the air during its flight that prevents it from landing at the intended airport. There may be a technical fault, such as the inability to lower the landing gear, which would cause it to go right and left to other airports. If it goes to other airports and lands at an airport, who is waiting for her there? Then, if we assume and suppose that she arrived at the intended airport safely, is her mahram who is meeting her guaranteed to come at the scheduled time? We do not guarantee that. In reality, he may be overcome by sleep, illness, a fault in his car, traffic on the road, or something similar among the obstacles, so he does not come at the scheduled time. And when she gets off the plane, where does she remain? Where does she go? This results in harm. And although these matters are rare, happening once in a thousand times or once in ten thousand times, what prevents us from saying that she should not ride the plane except with a mahram, in obedience to the command of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), where he said: And we are safe from all these estimates. My advice to my Muslim sisters and also to my Muslim brothers is to fear Allah (Mighty and Majestic) and to prevent their women from traveling except with a mahram. Praise be to Allah, the matter is facilitated. Even if her mahram has work, he can ride on this plane and take her to her family or to the place she wants, then return on another plane. Or the second mahram can meet them, take him with him, and this one returns on his plane.

The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.