60,000 Indonesian Hajj Pilgrims Returned, Final Batch to Arrive in Early July

Minister of Hajj and Umrah (Menhaj) Mochamad Irfan Yusuf, known as Gus Irfan, has reported that 60,000 members of the Indonesian Hajj pilgrimage have so far returned to Indonesia. He revealed that a number of pilgrims encountered issues during their return journey.

“156 flight groups, that means around 60,000, about 30 per cent, have arrived back in the homeland,” said Gus Irfan.

He stated that some pilgrims were temporarily diverted to Oman, but they have now returned to Indonesia.

“Indeed, there were some issues yesterday; some had to make a brief stopover in Oman, but now everything is running smoothly,” said Gus Irfan.

Gus Irfan confirmed that the problems faced were solely aircraft-related. According to him, there were no issues connected to the situation in the Middle East.

“It was just aircraft technical issues. There were no technical problems related to the Middle East situation, none at all,” he said.

Gus Irfan mentioned that the final flight group of Hajj pilgrims would arrive in the homeland at the start of July. “The last departure is on 30 June, and God willing, the final flight group will arrive in the homeland on 1 July,” he added.

Furthermore, Gus Irfan also outlined a number of aspects requiring evaluation regarding the implementation of the 2026 Hajj. He stated that health preparations are a priority.

“Firstly, regarding health, of course. Our health preparations are still far from satisfactory, so this year we will make greater improvements,” said Gus Irfan.

Additionally, he noted issues with the handling of pilgrims in Mina. He acknowledged that services there were subpar.

“The second point concerns our operations in Mina. Mina is a limited area with a small site, so our performance yesterday was somewhat unsatisfactory, but we will improve it next year,” he said.