InJourney Airports completes Haj departure phase

Jakarta (ANTARA) - PT Angkasa Pura Indonesia (InJourney Airports) said all airports it manages have completed serving the departure of Haj pilgrims to the Holy Land for the 2026 Hajj. ‘The departure of Kloter 116 from Juanda Surabaya Airport to Jeddah on 21 May 2026 at 23:00 WIB marks the end of the Haj pilgrims’ departure phase at InJourney Airports for the 2026 Hajj,’ said InJourney Airports Chief Executive Mohammad R. Pahlevi in a statement in Jakarta on Saturday. He noted that during the departure period from 21 April 2026 to 21 May 2026, there were 527 flights from 14 airports managed by InJourney Airports to Jeddah and Madinah with around 204,000 passengers including Haj pilgrims and pilgrimage officials. The five busiest airports during the departure period were Juanda Surabaya (44,000 pilgrims), Soekarno-Hatta Tangerang (35,000), Adi Soemarmo Solo (29,000), Kertajati Majalengka (17,000) and Sultan Hasanuddin Makassar (16,000) pilgrims. ‘All InJourney Airports staff served Haj pilgrims wholeheartedly, helping to start their journey of worship to the Holy Land,’ he said. Furthermore, Pahlevi stated that overall, the Hajj departure operations at the airports under InJourney Airports were very good and smooth. According to him, the smoothness of airport services during the departure phase can be seen from several indicators, firstly, the high on-time departure rate (OTP). ‘Out of 527 flights in the departure phase at 14 airports, 512 flights departed on time, giving an OTP of 97 per cent,’ he explained. He said the high OTP reflects excellent collaboration amongst all parties, including InJourney Airports as the airport operator, the Hajj organising committee, AirNav Indonesia, airlines, ground handling operators, and full support from the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, and Danantara Indonesia. In addition, the disciplined departure process for pilgrims agreed by all parties, from the hajj dormitories, security checks, onward travel to the airport, to the boarding process, was also supported. ‘Facilities at the airports, particularly on the air side, management of flight slot times, and aircraft allocation at the airports also support the high OTP for Hajj,’ Pahlevi said. Besides flight timeliness, the second success indicator was the smooth Makkah Route service at Soekarno-Hatta Tangerang, Juanda Surabaya, Adi Soemarmo Solo and Sultan Hasanuddin Makassar airports. Makkah Route is the immigration service provided by Saudi Arabia to pilgrims, where InJourney Airports’ support for this service includes providing space, various facilities, technical support, aviation security officers, and other matters. ‘Last year the Makkah Route service was at three airports, and this year it has expanded to four airports, with the latest at Sultan Hasanuddin Makassar. InJourney Airports is ready to support the Makkah Route service at government-designated airports,’ he explained. Third, the success indicator during the departure phase was the success of Yogyakarta International Airport in serving Haj flights directly to Jeddah and Madinah for the first time. This year, around 9,000 pilgrims departed to the Holy Land via the airport. ‘This achievement demonstrates the reliability of the airside and landside facilities at Yogyakarta International Airport,’ Pahlevi said. After the departure phase, InJourney Airports will again prepare to welcome the arrival of Haj pilgrims in the return phase scheduled from 1 June 2026 to 1 July 2026.