Madinah Airport to Welcome Hajj Pilgrims, Luggage Rules Differ from Previous Year

MADINAH, KOMPAS.com - Hajj officials from the Airport Work Area (Daker) conducted a field orientation at several points in Prince Mohammad Bin Abdulaziz International Airport/Madinah Airport on Monday evening (20/4/2026). This inspection was carried out while emphasising Saudi Arabia’s latest policies on serving Hajj pilgrims in the airport area. The Indonesia-Saudi Arabia Liaison Officer for the airport work area, M Yusuf Bahar, revealed that there are several crucial locations that airport work area officials must know. “There are several points (locations). First, the Makkah route, which is the exit point for fast-track pilgrims from four embarkation points: Jakarta, Solo, Surabaya, and Makassar. We explained to the team the workflow,” he said when met at Madinah Airport on Monday evening (20/4/2026). Indonesian Hajj pilgrims will exit through the Makkah Route building door and be directed straight to buses within 15 to 20 minutes. The PPIH Daker Airport team also inspected the readiness of exit points for non-fast-track Indonesian Hajj pilgrims. “Here there are several gates; on average, our pilgrims will exit through numbers 3 and 4,” he stated. There are a total of six pavilions with various facilities such as air conditioning, toilets, and a medical clinic in pavilion number 5. Yusuf explained that there is a policy different from previous years regarding the location where pilgrims’ luggage is released. This year, luggage for both fast-track and non-fast-track pilgrims will be released through a special baggage and cargo building. “Its position is behind the fast-track location. We will deploy a special team to control and record that baggage,” he revealed. The arrival of the first wave of Indonesian Hajj pilgrims to Madinah Airport will take place from 22 April 2026 to 6 May 2026. Pilgrims from the Jakarta-Pondok Gede Embarkation (JKG) this year will again use the fast-track scheme system, making the immigration process faster. The first batch is scheduled to arrive at AMAA Madinah Airport at 06.50 Saudi Arabia time. Subsequently, the second wave of Hajj pilgrims will arrive at King Abdul Aziz International Airport in Jeddah from 7 May 2026 to 21 May 2026. Those Hajj pilgrims will participate in the Arafah wuquf peak on 26 May 2026.