Hajj Costs Could Rise, Prabowo Requests No Additional Burden on Pilgrims

Jakarta, VIVA – Hajj and Umrah Minister Mochamad Irfan Yusuf, or Gus Irfan, revealed that President Prabowo Subianto has instructed that pilgrims should not bear any additional costs if there is an increase. This was stated by Gus Irfan during a working meeting with the DPR’s Commission VIII in response to the potential rise in Hajj costs due to the war between the United States (US) and Israel against Iran. “The essence is that President Prabowo hopes that whatever happens, any increases—if an increase occurs, he requests that it not be burdened on our Hajj pilgrims,” said Gus Irfan during the meeting on Wednesday, 8 April 2026. Gus Irfan then explained that the Hajj flight costs in the determination of the Hajj Service Implementation Costs (BPIH) amount to Rp33.5 million per pilgrim. However, these costs are potentially subject to an increase due to the conflict occurring in the Middle East. In addition, Garuda Indonesia reported a potential addition of about 4 hours to the travel time and an additional consumption of avtur (aviation fuel) of around 12,000 tons. The airline Garuda, through letter number Garuda/JAKARTA/DZ/20181-26, also proposed an additional Rp7.9 million per pilgrim at an avtur price of 116 US cents per litre. Meanwhile, Saudi Airlines, through letter number 11732247/11501 April 2026, proposed an additional US$480 per pilgrim at an avtur price of 137.4 US cents per litre. He then mentioned that the potential increase in Hajj costs could reach more than 50 percent or Rp50.8 million per Hajj pilgrim in a scenario involving changes to flight routes. Meanwhile, if there are no changes to flight routes, the increase would be 39.85 percent or valued at Rp46.9 million per Hajj pilgrim. “In the scenario without route changes, the average cost per pilgrim rises to around Rp46.9 million or an increase of 39.85 percent. Meanwhile, in the scenario with route changes, the costs increase higher to around Rp50.8 million or up to 51.48 percent,” concluded Gus Irfan.