Haj Minister Hopes Prabowo Will Officially Send Off First Hajj Flight for 2026

Jakarta - The Minister of Haj and Umrah (Menhaj), Mochamad Irfan Yusuf, hopes that the President of the Republic of Indonesia, Prabowo Subianto, can personally send off the first batch of Hajj pilgrims departing for 2026.

Gus Irfan, as he is affectionately known, stated that the Ministry of Haj is still awaiting confirmation of Prabowo’s attendance at the event.

“Of course, we hope that he will graciously send off our Hajj pilgrims, but we will see the situation later,” said Gus Irfan when met at the Office of the Coordinating Ministry for Food, Central Jakarta, on Tuesday (21/4/2026).

Regardless, he still hopes that Prabowo can make time amid his busy schedule to send off the first batch of Hajj pilgrims.

“Hopefully, he will be willing and have the time. We know his busyness is extraordinary, so we hope he can still do it,” said Gus Irfan.

The first batch of Hajj pilgrims for 1447 Hijriah or 2026 will depart from Soekarno-Hatta Airport to Madinah on Wednesday (22/4/2026) in the early hours.

Gus Irfan assured that all preparations to welcome the Hajj pilgrims, who begin entering the Hajj dormitories today, have been maximised.

To welcome the arrival of the Hajj pilgrims, several embarkation points are again preparing expedited services to support the smooth conduct of the Hajj pilgrimage in the Holy Land.

One of the facilities used is the fast-track scheme that speeds up the immigration process at the destination airport.

This service is once again implemented for pilgrims from the Jakarta-Pondok Gede Embarkation.

With this system, the immigration process for Indonesian Hajj pilgrims at the airport runs more quickly and efficiently.

The first batch is scheduled to arrive at Prince Mohammad bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Madinah on 22 April 2026 at 06.50 Saudi Arabia time.

After arriving in Madinah, the pilgrims will be directed to buses heading to their respective hotels.

The arrangements are carried out strictly to ensure the movement flow proceeds orderly.