Haj Minister: Saudi Arabia supports haj efficiency with additional flight slots
Minister of Haj and Umrah Mochamad Irfan Yusuf has stated that the government is pursuing efficiency in the haj pilgrimage by reducing the length of stay for Indonesian pilgrims in Saudi Arabia through additional flight slots from both countries.
Minister Irfan said the effort was discussed during his meeting with Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Transport and Logistic Services, Saleh bin Nasser Al-Jasser, who expressed support for the plan.
“This evening our discussion was related to, firstly, the Saudi government strongly supports our planned programme to build a Kampung Haji and they hope its construction can begin soon,” he told the media at the residence of the Saudi Arabian Ambassador to Indonesia in Jakarta on Monday evening.
In addition to the construction of Kampung Haji, Minister Irfan said both parties also discussed steps to streamline Indonesia’s haj operations by reducing the length of stay for pilgrims in Saudi Arabia.
“We also requested, in order to make the haj operations more efficient, to reduce the length of stay in Saudi Arabia by adding flight slots from both Saudi Arabia and Indonesia, so that it will reduce the time spent in Saudi Arabia. Alhamdulillah, His Excellency the Saudi Transport Minister also gave his support,” he said.
When asked whether the efficiency measures were intended to reduce the haj costs borne by pilgrims, Irfan said discussions on the cost component involved a different mechanism. However, he is confident the policy will have an impact.
“Oh, that is a different matter, there will be a different calculation later. God willing, it will have an effect,” he said.
On the same occasion, Minister Saleh conveyed that his meeting with Indonesian Transportation Minister Dudy Purwagandhi had discussed strengthening cooperation in the transportation and logistics services sector between the two countries.
Besides discussing investment opportunities in the maritime sector and the exchange of experience and expertise in the railway sector, they also talked about increasing flight frequency between the two countries via Saudi Arabian airlines.
“We also discussed increasing the frequency of flights between the two countries, both by Saudia and Riyadh Air, which is expected to begin serving the route to Jakarta in the coming months,” said Saleh.
The Saudi Minister affirmed that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s government places great importance on improving service quality for all pilgrims by providing various facilities while in the Holy Land, including for Indonesian pilgrims who constitute the largest contingent.
To support the comfort of the haj pilgrimage, he said Saudi Arabia continues to develop various supporting infrastructure, including the Haramain High Speed Railway, the Al-Mashaer Train, the expansion of the Jamarat area, and several other development projects.
“God willing, we hope to continue working with His Excellency the Minister of Haj and the Minister of Transportation to bring more convenience and service improvements for Indonesian pilgrims in the future,” Saleh said.