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)