Hajj Minister Reveals Fate of Next Year's Hajj Costs, Will They Rise?
Minister of Hajj (Menhaj) Muhammad Irfan Yusuf, also known as Gus Irfan, has said the government is continuing its efforts to lower the cost of the Hajj pilgrimage for 2027. His ministry will discuss the Hajj costs with the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI).
He acknowledged that the challenges Indonesia faces regarding Hajj costs are not easy. These include the rising price of aviation fuel (avtur) and global uncertainty.
“It will be discussed again. We will discuss it with the DPR, although we know this year’s challenges are extraordinary, especially the exchange rate, then the increase in avtur, and then the global situation which is still unclear,” Irfan told reporters in Hambalang, Bogor, on Thursday, 18 June 2026.
On the other hand, the Saudi Arabian government has also increased a number of services related to the organisation of the Hajj pilgrimage.
“Then the Saudi government has also raised its service charges, which will affect the price value. This will also be something we discuss with our colleagues in the DPR,” he explained.
Previously, the Chair of the DPR RI Hajj Supervisory Team, Cucun Ahmad Syamsurijal, revealed that President Prabowo Subianto was satisfied with the reduced Hajj waiting list this year. However, he said Prabowo requested that the waiting list be cut further to around 26 years.
“His concern, which we greatly appreciate, is how the queue, which was previously almost 35 to 40 years, can be reduced to around 26 years,” said Cucun in Hambalang, West Java, on Wednesday, 17 June 2026.
He stated that President Prabowo is not only targeting a reduction in the waiting list to 26 years, but also asked his staff to find a scheme that would allow the Hajj waiting period to be shortened even further.
“He even said earlier, if possible, please make it even faster, what would the scheme be if, for example, this queue is not long,” he said.
The PKB politician explained that the DPR also took the opportunity to convey the results of its supervision of the Hajj implementation so far. One of the highlighted achievements was the reduction in Hajj costs over the last two years, which was deemed to have helped around 240,000 prospective pilgrims.
“Alhamdulillah, we conveyed the supervision from the start of departure, even from the establishment of the working committee, that the cost of going on Hajj has been able to decrease in the last two years. So, 240,000 people who have truly wanted to perform the Hajj pilgrimage for years,” he added.