1,500 haj pilgrims stranded

1,500 haj pilgrims stranded

JAKARTA: Around 1,500 Indonesian haj pilgrims are stranded at
Soekarno-Hatta airport as the airline company that is to
transport them to Saudi Arabia failed to ensure their scheduled
departures.

The passengers condemned Indonesian Airlines on Friday as the
flight delays had been occurring since Wednesday and no
explanations had been given by the company.

"We were scheduled to leave on Wednesday, but we are still
here as Indonesian Airlines has yet to confirm our departure,"
one of the passengers, Agus, said on Friday.

Airport police chief Adj. Comr. Sri Suari Wahyudi confirmed
that around 1,500 passengers were staying in different places
around the airport waiting for their departures.

Indonesian Airlines is the only company besides national flag
carrier Garuda Indonesia that is authorized to carry Indonesian
haj pilgrims this season. --Antara