First batches of haj pilgrims leave for Saudi

JAKARTA (JP): The month-long dispatch of some 205,000 Indonesian haj pilgrims to Saudi Arabia got off to a nearly flawless start on Friday.

Some 450 pilgrims, many of them elderly and in wheelchairs, left aboard a government-chartered flight from Soekarno-Hatta Airport. They were among the first batches of haj pilgrims to leave for Saudi Arabia from six airports on board Garuda Indonesia and Saudi Airlines aircraft.

A minor glitch occurred in Medan, North Sumatra, on Friday when the departure of a government-chartered flight carrying some 405 pilgrims was delayed for four hours due to technical problems.

Antara reported that Garuda then sent a Boeing-737 from Jakarta to replace a chartered MD-11 plane, which was later temporarily grounded.

The government has designated seven airports as embarkation points: Surakarta's Adisumarmo, Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta, Surabaya's Juanda, Makassar's Hasanuddin, Medan's Polonia, Balikpapan's Sepinggan and Banda Aceh's Sultan Iskandar Muda.

This year was the second time that the government appointed Banda Aceh's airport as a haj departure point. A total of 6,337 people have registered to fly out of the restive province for the pilgrimage, with the first flight leaving on Friday.

Minister of Health Ahmad Suyudi and Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso sent off the first pilgrims from Jakarta on board a Saudi Airlines plane.

Officials have said the cooperation with the Saudi flag carrier to fly Indonesian pilgrims, now in its third year, would likely be retained next year.

Before 1999, Garuda Indonesia held a lucrative monopoly to transport Indonesian pilgrims to Saudi Arabia.

The government organizes haj pilgrimage for its citizens, providing all-inclusive packages costing Rp 17.7 million (US$ 1,800) per head. (07)