Middle East Tensions Escalate, DPR's Commission VIII Proposes Hajj Flight Route Via Africa

Marwan Dasopang, head of the House of Representatives’ Commission VIII, proposed that the government prepare a scenario for Haj flight routes through Africa if the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East continues to intensify. He said the option should be considered to avoid conflict-prone areas.

“It is also not feasible for pilgrims to wait long for departure. There must be an alternative, for example could flights be diverted away from Africa,” he said at the parliamentary complex in Senayan, Jakarta, on Friday (6/3/2026).

“So fly from Jeddah to Nairobi, then towards Africa, basically over open seas, not along island chains,” he added.

According to him, the government needs to coordinate with various parties to prepare the scenario. This includes airlines and other Haj service providers.

“The government will be pushed to coordinate with all parties, including those, if a loss of services has occurred where there are flights, hotels, meals, and Masyair in Armuzna,” he explained.

“Because it would be very heavy financially for Haj next year to depart; the pilgrims currently departing have already paid, so the government must succeed in convincing various parties,” he continued.

Marwan said the change in the flight route could increase Haj operating costs, since flight duration would be longer than the standard route.

“I think there will be (cost increases), because the flight time will be longer. If previously it was eight to ten hours, or Aceh six hours, it will certainly be longer because the route is curving,” he explained.

However, he said the Africa-passage route cannot directly pass over certain areas such as Yemen, as that region has long been avoided due to unstable security.

“Because when you look at the maps, from Africa it cannot also pass over Yemen, because Yemen itself has long been avoided due to ongoing escalations that are not safe to fly over,” he stated.

“So our route home from Saudi or departure options would be further to the right, while the leftmost option would pass over open sea,” he continued.

Marwan said the government needs to revisit funding sources to avoid burdening pilgrims. He noted the Haj Funds Management Agency (BPKH) also has limitations in covering such cost surges.

“If, for example, the budget swells, we must renegotiate who bears it. I think it should be the finances of BPKH to cover or to step in, but I think they are not capable of that, because their financial capacity is limited to a single Haj,” he said. “If it is exhausted, I think we will have problems with our Haj this year and next,” he added.