New route introduced for haj pilgrims

JAKARTA (JP): The average period of next year's haj pilgrimage will be extended from 38 days to 44 days due to a new route imposed by the Saudi Arabian government.

Starting next year, the usual flight route of Jakarta-Jeddah- Jakarta for pilgrims will be divided into the Jakarta-Jeddah- Medina-Jakarta route and the Jakarta-Medina-Jeddah-Jakarta route.

Pilgrims who want to visit Medina first can take the second route but they have to depart from Jeddah on their way back home, and vice versa.

The change was made to reduce flight volume at King Abdul Azis Airport in Jeddah, as there are as many as 176 flights a day during the haj season.

"But the problem is, Medina airport's capacity is relatively small. It is only the size of Polonia Airport in North Sumatra. As a consequence, Indonesian pilgrims will have to stay longer because departure is divided into shifts," Ministry of Religious Affairs' Director General of Islamic Mass Guidance and Haj Pilgrimage Affairs Taufiq Kamil told journalists on Friday.

But Taufiq assured that pilgrims would not be unnecessarily financially burdened by the change.

"The cost is still the same despite the change," he said.

The cost of the last pilgrimage was Rp 17.76 million (US$2,040) per person.

The government and the House of Representatives recently set the cost of next year's haj pilgrimage at between Rp 19 million ($2,180) to Rp 23 million ($2,640).

In contrast to previous years, the cost will vary for those leaving from the three different embarkation points.

Those traveling from Banda Aceh, Medan in North Sumatra, and Batam will be charged between Rp 19 million and Rp 21.5 million while those embarking in Jakarta, Surakarta in Central Java and Surabaya in East Java will pay between Rp 20 million and Rp 22 million.

Those leaving from the South Sulawesi provincial capital of Makassar and the East Kalimantan city of Balikpapan will pay between Rp 21 million and Rp 23 million.

Despite the monetary crisis and the weakening of the rupiah, the number of registered Indonesian pilgrims next year has reached the 205,000 quota despite the fact that registration for the pilgrimage only began in August. (09)