First Hajj pilgrims from West Sulawesi arrive via Makassar Debarkation

Pilgrims from Flight Group (Kloter) 11 in West Sulawesi Province were the first group to arrive back in the country through the Makassar Debarkation at Sultan Hasanuddin International Airport in Makassar. The Garuda Indonesia aircraft, flight number GIA 1411, landed on schedule.

Deputy Coordinator for Pilgrim Reception and Pickup at the Makassar Hajj Organising Committee (PPIH), Wahyuddin Hakim, received the returning West Sulawesi pilgrims at the Arafah Hall of the Sudiang Hajj Dormitory in Makassar on Wednesday. “Welcome back to the homeland after a long journey completing all the pillars of Hajj. May all pilgrims receive mabrur (accepted) for their Hajj worship,” he said.

Kloter 11 carried 391 pilgrims, consisting of 385 individuals from West Sulawesi and six flight group officers. Of this total, 111 were men and 274 were women. During the handover ceremony, the Kloter 11 pilgrims were handed over by Wahyuddin Hakim to Assistant I for Government and People’s Welfare of Polewali Mandar Regency, Mahardiana Jabbar.

The reception was witnessed by the Head of the Regional Office of the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah for West Sulawesi Province, the Head of People’s Welfare for Polewali Mandar Regency, and a number of West Sulawesi provincial government officials. Representing the Polewali Mandar Regency government, Mahardiana Jabbar expressed appreciation and thanks to the PPIH Embarkation Makassar and all flight group officers who had accompanied the pilgrims throughout their worship until their return. “If you experience any specific symptoms of illness after arriving in your respective areas, immediately seek a check-up at the nearest community health centre or medical facility,” he said.

During the pilgrimage, one West Sulawesi pilgrim named Suraten Kromo Dongso, aged 68, is still undergoing treatment at the Makkah Medical Centre and could not yet be repatriated with the Kloter 11 group. Overall, West Sulawesi pilgrims for the 1447 H/2026 M season totalled 1,428 people, divided into four flight groups: Kloter 11, 12, 19, and 20. This year, the Makassar Debarkation dispatched 16,738 Hajj pilgrims from regions across Eastern Indonesia, including South Sulawesi, West Sulawesi, Southeast Sulawesi, Maluku, North Maluku, Papua, West Papua, and Gorontalo.