Hajj Flights Directed to Avoid Airspace in Conflict Zones

Indonesia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs is fully coordinating with the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah to ensure the safety and security of Hajj pilgrims for 2026, including issuing advisories on flight routes. Director of WNI Protection at the Foreign Ministry, Heni Hamidah, emphasised that this year’s Hajj flights and departures will proceed as planned by the Saudi Arabian government, despite the dynamics of conflicts in the Persian Gulf region affecting countries in the area. “For Hajj travel operators, flights should endeavour to avoid conflict zones, considering there will be direct Hajj flights to Jeddah,” Heni stated after a media briefing in Jakarta on Thursday. She noted that coordination between the Foreign Ministry and the Hajj Ministry for this year’s Hajj has been very effective, with the Hajj Ministry providing periodic updates on preparations in Saudi Arabia to the Foreign Ministry, and vice versa. This coordination is further optimised by the Hajj Affairs Office operating under the Indonesian Consulate General in Jeddah, Heni added. Meanwhile, Minister of Hajj and Umrah Mochamad Irfan Yusuf stated that departures for Hajj from Indonesia this year will begin with the sending of officers who will escort pilgrims in their respective work areas in Saudi Arabia. “The departure schedule for the Indonesian Hajj Organising Committee in Saudi Arabia for 2026 starts with the advance team on 13 April 2026, followed by the Airport Work Area and Madinah Work Area teams on 17 and 18 April 2026,” the Minister said during a Working Meeting with Commission VIII of the House of Representatives in Jakarta on Tuesday (14/4). Subsequently, he said, Makkah Work Area officers will be sent in stages on 22 and 23 April 2026 to ensure readiness of services for pilgrims in the Holy Land. The Amirul Hajj is scheduled to depart on 19 May 2026. In addition, the Hajj Ministry has scheduled the first batch of prospective Hajj pilgrims to enter Hajj dormitories on 21 April and depart for the Holy Land on 22 April 2026. It is known that Indonesia has received an official Hajj quota of 221,000 people for 2026, consisting of 203,320 regular Hajj and 17,680 special Hajj.