First Hajj Group Candidates Depart from Yogyakarta Embarkation

Hundreds of prospective Hajj pilgrims (calhaj) from the first batch were officially released to the Yogyakarta Embarkation at Yogyakarta International Airport (YIA). They will subsequently be flown to the Holy Land.

The ceremony took place on Tuesday night (21/4) at the Ibis-Novotel Hotel in Temon, Kulon Progo. Observations from detikJogja showed that the release was conducted by the Director General of Hajj and Umrah Organisational Development from the Ministry of Religious Affairs, Puji Raharjo, along with Deputy Chairman of Commission VIII of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Singgih Januratmoko.

Also in attendance were GKR Mangkubumi, as well as the Secretary of the DIY Regional Government, Ni Made Dwipanti Indrayanti, and representatives from the Kulon Progo Regional Leadership Coordination Forum.

The hundreds of calhaj began boarding buses around 19:36 WIB. They were divided into nine small groups. Those requiring assistance with wheelchairs were transported in separate vehicles. The convoy departed for the airport around 20:22 WIB.

Puji Raharjo stated that the embarkation at Yogyakarta International Airport (YIA) is the first in Indonesia to operate without using Hajj dormitories, instead being hotel-based.

“This represents progress in Hajj services. Pilgrims can depart from a closer airport, and this also impacts cost efficiency,” said Puji to reporters on Tuesday (21/4/2026).

He mentioned that the cost of departure from the Yogyakarta embarkation could be cheaper. In the future, these costs have the potential to decrease further as the number of pilgrims and aircraft capacity increase.

“Hajj pilgrims from Jogja and surrounding areas fly from a closer airport, and this also has the consequence of lower costs,” he said.

Puji also hopes that this hotel-based embarkation model can become an innovation adopted in other regions.

“Hopefully, this can become a new model going forward, as well as a solution to the limitations of building Hajj dormitories,” he said.

Meanwhile, Singgih Januratmoko assessed that the hotel embarkation concept not only improves pilgrim services but also impacts the local economy around the airport.

“This is a good breakthrough. Besides improving services, it can also stimulate the economy in Kulon Progo and surrounding areas,” he said.

According to him, utilising existing facilities like hotels serves as an alternative to building new embarkations that require substantial costs and expensive maintenance.

“Rather than building something expensive with the risk of it not being used, it’s better to utilise existing facilities. The budget can be redirected to other sectors like education,” he added.

This year’s Yogyakarta embarkation is scheduled to serve 9,320 pilgrims in 26 flight groups (kloter). Of this number, 3,828 pilgrims are from districts/cities in DIY, while the remaining 5,492 are from southern Central Java.

One of the pilgrims, Farhan (33), expressed gratitude for being able to perform Hajj at a young age alongside his mother.

“Alhamdulillah, I can depart at a young age and accompany my mother. All processes feel facilitated,” he said.

Sri Estini, who has waited 14 years to depart for Hajj, echoed similar sentiments.

“The facilities are very comfortable. We hope everything goes smoothly until we return safely,” she said.

The first batch calhaj are scheduled to fly from YIA Airport at 23:30 WIB to the Holy Land.