Middle East Tensions: 1,415 NTB Pilgrims Confirmed Safe During Umrah
Tensions in the Middle East between the United States-Israel and Iran remain unresolved. Amidst this increasingly volatile situation, 1,415 pilgrims from Nusa Tenggara Barat (NTB) have been confirmed safe and continue to perform their worship in Saudi Arabia.
Lalu Muhammad Amin, Head of the NTB Regional Office of the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, has confirmed that all pilgrims currently in the Holy Land are being monitored and are safe. Of this number, 43 are scheduled to return to Indonesia on 2 March 2026.
“To date there are 1,415 people, and those scheduled to return today, 2 March 2026, number 43,” Amin told reporters on Monday evening, 2 March 2026.
Amin explained that his office continuously updates data on pilgrims departing and returning to the country. Monitoring is carried out regularly to ensure there are no obstacles, particularly regarding flights.
“We always update information regarding those departing or returning. God willing, if they are flying direct, they will not be held up there,” Amin assured.
According to him, the flight situation in Jeddah remains safe and under control. All umrah pilgrims from NTB in Saudi Arabia are confirmed to return according to schedule.
“So it is controlled. Thank God the flight situation in Jeddah is safe and orderly,” he said.
Amin acknowledged he cannot yet confirm whether all pilgrim flights use direct routes from Jakarta to Jeddah. However, he emphasised that no pilgrims have been routed through areas in conflict zones.
“Flights from Jeddah to Jakarta, if they are direct, there is no problem and they continue to operate normally. Unless there are some from countries neighbouring the Middle East that have indeed closed their airports,” he said.
If any pilgrims are using connecting flights, Amin continued, the airlines will reschedule them.
“The point is now we are being asked to continue coordinating with colleagues at the Umrah Pilgrimage Organisers (PPUI), with the airlines,” he said.
To ensure schedule certainty and pilgrim safety, the NTB Ministry of Hajj and Umrah also coordinates with the Office of Hajj and Umrah Affairs (KUH) in Jeddah and the Indonesian Embassy in Saudi Arabia.
“For now it is still unknown how many are transiting,” he said.
Amin stated that his office is still verifying the arrival time of 43 pilgrims scheduled to arrive in Lombok today. The return schedule is entirely under the control of the PPUI.
“That we cannot control because it is the PPUI that knows. Usually the transit is through Kuala Lumpur or it could also be direct to Jakarta, then to Lombok,” Amin explained.
Amid the developing situation, Amin urged all pilgrims still in Saudi Arabia to remain calm and not panic. The issue of postponing umrah operations is also still being coordinated with the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah and local authorities.
“We can only advise them to remain calm, to keep communicating according to the situation and circumstances. This communication can be done with the PPUI, the travel agency that dispatched them. They will then communicate with the airline, and then also communicate with the KUH office in Saudi Arabia,” he said.
He also advised NTB residents planning to undertake umrah in the near future to consider postponing their departure by assessing the flight security situation.
“We only advise, but if they see the situation and circumstances, they should postpone. So it is not about not going, but we advise postponing according to the air safety conditions,” he stressed.