Second Wave of Hajj Pilgrims Begin Departure from Makkah to Madinah

The second wave of Indonesian Hajj pilgrims officially began their departure from Makkah to Madinah on Sunday (7/6/2026). In this initial phase of the movement, 14 flight groups (kloter) involving an estimated total of 5,499 pilgrims are scheduled to travel to the City of the Prophet.

Ihsan Faisal, the Head of the Makkah Working Area for the Saudi Arabian Hajj Organising Committee (PPIH), stated that the departure process is being conducted in a gradual and scheduled manner. The movement of pilgrims began at 07:00 Saudi Arabian Time (WAS) and is planned to conclude by 18:00 WAS for the final group of the day.

“There are no night journeys, unless the arrival in Madinah happens to be at night for those departing in the late afternoon,” Ihsan said in a statement from Makkah.

Ihsan emphasised that the entire departure process must strictly adhere to Standard Operating Procedures (SOP). The primary focus of officials at this stage is ensuring the readiness of pilgrims’ travel documents before the buses depart. Intensive coordination continues between sector officials and the ‘maktab’ or ‘syarikah’ (hajj service providers).

“The model is the same as the arrival of pilgrims from Madinah to Makkah previously,” he explained. He added that the documents for all pilgrims, particularly for the early groups, must be finalised by the syarikah one day prior to departure.

Regarding technical arrangements, the bus fleet is scheduled to arrive at the pilgrims’ hotels four hours before the departure time. Meanwhile, for luggage, large suitcases will be transported using a dedicated fleet moving in tandem with the pilgrims’ departure schedule to ensure logistics arrive on time.

Upon arrival in Madinah, this second wave of pilgrims will perform the Arbain pilgrimage (performing the four daily obligatory prayers 40 times at the Prophet’s Mosque) and visit several historical sites before eventually returning to Indonesia via Prince Mohammad bin Abdulaziz International Airport.