Rano Karno Recounts Returning from Umrah Amid Iran–Israel Conflict

Jakarta, KOMPAS.com – Deputy Governor of Jakarta, Rano Karno, recounts his experience after returning from the Umrah pilgrimage amid disruptions to international flights caused by the Iran–Israel conflict.

He had undertaken the Umrah pilgrimage since 23 February 2026 and returned to Jakarta on Wednesday, 4 March 2026.

He assured that pilgrims using direct flights to Indonesia were not affected by the disruption.

‘It also needs to be clarified, God willing, for Hajj or Umrah pilgrims who travel by direct flight, there is no disruption,’ Rano said at the Jakarta City Hall on Thursday, 5 March 2026.

‘Thus, those transiting via Qatar, via Abu Dhabi, all have stopped. This is what yesterday perhaps more than 38,000 of our pilgrims were unable to return, waiting,’ he said.

Rano also recounted his experience on the return flight. He observed that many foreign nationals opted to use Indonesia’s national airline to return to their home countries or to their final destinations.

‘Indeed, just last night when I returned, there were many foreign nationals using Garuda,’ he said.

He even mentioned there was a passenger who had to travel by road over a long distance to obtain a direct flight.

‘There was one person, he travelled by taxi from Doha to Riyadh; the taxi fare was nearly Rp 28 million, and then he boarded Garuda. In other words, hopefully there have been no changes yet, though I have been following the news there day by day,’ Karno said.

Despite the flight disruptions, Karno assured that the situation in the two holy cities was relatively safe. ‘God willing, Mecca and Medina are relatively safe, no problems. But let us pray for the fighting to end soon,’ he said.

He hopes the Iran–Israel conflict will subside quickly so that international air travel can return to normal and pilgrims can travel safely and smoothly.