Gradually Returning Home, 10,060 Umrah Pilgrims Have Returned to Indonesia

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Indonesian Consulate General (KJRI) in Jeddah confirms that the repatriation process for umrah pilgrims to Indonesia is operating under intensive supervision and accompaniment, and by 3 March 2026, 10,060 people had returned home. “We ensure all pilgrims receive direct assistance, from the check-in process to departure,” said Muhammad Ilham Effendy, Technical Staff for Hajj Affairs at KJRI Jeddah, in a statement in Jakarta on Wednesday. KJRI Jeddah conducts direct monitoring across all service areas for pilgrims, particularly Terminal 1 and the Hajj Terminal. This step is part of the state’s commitment to ensure maximum protection for pilgrims. KJRI Jeddah emphasises that protecting pilgrims is the top priority at every stage of repatriation, given the escalating circumstances. Although many umrah participants have returned as scheduled, data as of 3 March 2026 show 300 people experiencing flight delays (stranded). The pilgrims are spread across the cities of Jeddah and Mecca, with the main obstacles being continued flight schedules and coordination of visas and transit flights. In response, KJRI Jeddah, through the Technical Team for Hajj Affairs, has undertaken several ongoing coordination steps with airlines to ensure certainty of departure schedules. “The KJRI will also monitor on a rotating basis around the clock to anticipate potential backlog of pilgrims,” he added. Although the number of stranded pilgrims is quite significant, all conditions can be managed in a coordinated and controlled manner. “We remain on 24-hour standby. The principle is that no pilgrim should feel abandoned. Protection and accompaniment are responsibilities we carry out in full,” he said. Based on reports via the Umrah and Special Hajj Management Computer System (Siskopatuh) on Sunday (1/3), it was recorded that around 58,873 Indonesian Umrah participants are still in Saudi Arabia to undertake Umrah.