First phase of haj operation completed
First phase of haj operation completed
JAKARTA (JP): The first phase of this year's haj operation was
completed when the last plane carrying Indonesian pilgrims to
Mecca left from Jakarta's Halim Perdanakusuma airport on Tuesday
night.
Altogether, the government has sent 454 flights and 197,000
Indonesians to Riyadh since the haj operation was launched on
April 3.
The next phase will be to bring them home once the haj
pilgrimage is completed. The first flight out is due on May 14
and the entire operation is expected to last for about one month.
Minister/Cabinet Secretary Saadillah Mursjid saw off the last
plane leaving Halim airport. He took the place of Minister of
Religious Affairs Tarmizi Taher, the Amirul Haj or chief of the
Indonesian haj delegation, who left for Mecca on Sunday.
In a farewell speech, Saadillah appealed to the pilgrims on
the last plane to take care of their health and to pay attention
to medical advice.
Fifty-four Indonesian pilgrims have already died in Saudi
Arabia, most due to heart attack.
Indonesia's record number of pilgrims this year has forced the
Saudi government to enforce a quota for the first time, limiting
the number of visas issued to Indonesians. Some 240,000 people
originally registered to join the pilgrimage, while the
Indonesian quota was set at only 195,000.
The quota was later raised to 197,000 to accommodate some
2,000 officials and escorts managing the haj operation.
The 197,000 pilgrims departed from six different airports.
Halim Perdanakusuma in Jakarta saw the largest number with 254
flights and 118,813 people. The other airports are Juanda in
Surabaya with 96 flights and 38,240 people, Polonia airport in
Medan with 33 flights and 15,615 people, Hasanuddin airport in
Ujungpandang with 60 flights and 20,079 people and Sepinggan
airport in Balikpapan with 11 flights and 4,253 people.
The government, through the flag carrier Garuda Indonesia, has
leased 25 wide-bodied jets for the operation. The pilgrims are
due home after Idul Adha, the Moslem Day of Sacrifice, which
falls on May 10. (emb)