Umrah Pilgrim Departures and Arrivals Remain Normal at Juanda Airport
A brutal and deadly attack by Israel and the United States on Iran last Saturday (28 February) shocked the world. Although the Middle East continues to heat up due to the conflict between Iran and the United States and Israel, this has not impacted umrah pilgrim flights.
At Juanda International Airport in Sidoarjo Regency, departures and arrivals of umrah pilgrims remain visibly normal as usual. As observed on Monday afternoon (2 March), groups of umrah pilgrims were seen departing through Terminal 2 of Juanda International Airport in Sidoarjo Regency. They were unaffected by an advisory from the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah requesting umrah pilgrims to postpone travel to the Holy Land.
The group of umrah pilgrims was scheduled to depart for Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Monday at 1358 hours West Indonesia Time. They departed directly to Jeddah on Lion Air.
Meanwhile, at the international arrivals gate, a new group of umrah pilgrims was also seen arriving at Juanda International Airport. The group flew directly from Jeddah at 2100 hours the previous evening and arrived at Juanda International Airport on Monday at 1200 hours West Indonesia Time.
One umrah pilgrim, Tuminah, 49, from Blora in Central Java, reported that their flight home went smoothly. The rempeyek (prawn cracker) seller explained that the conflict occurring in the Middle East region did not affect their pilgrimage activities.
Tuminah said she first learned of the conflict from her family back home. The news made her anxious, especially after completing her umrah pilgrimage and preparing to return home.
“My family in Blora told me there was war. I became worried, wondering if I could return home at all. I even lost sleep over it, but thank God the journey home went smoothly according to schedule with no delays,” Tuminah said.
Tuminah departed for umrah on 17 February in a group of 42 people with travel agency PT Nabila Inti Persada. They returned on the same aircraft as umrah pilgrims from other travel agencies.
Meanwhile, umrah travel agencies stated they could not postpone departures for pilgrims whose preparations were 100% complete. This is because umrah costs have already been paid for aircraft, hotel, and accommodation expenses during their stay in the Holy Land.
“If preparations are 100% complete and then delayed, it would certainly disrupt travel operations. However, if there is government policy, we will comply and will discuss with pilgrims the costs already incurred,” said Director of PT Nabila Inti Persada Genta Imam Sanjaya.
Nevertheless, travel agencies will continue to monitor security developments in the Middle East, including waiting for the government to issue a travel warning should the Middle East conflict become increasingly hazardous to flights and umrah pilgrims.
“We will continue to follow government advisories, for instance if a government travel warning emerges,” Imam said.
Juanda International Airport in Sidoarjo Regency, East Java, is working to strengthen mitigation measures to anticipate extreme weather that could impact flight operations. During 2025, Juanda International Airport serves a total of 43 flight routes, comprising 32 domestic routes and 11 international routes. Extreme weather has temporarily impacted flight operations in the form of holding patterns for arrivals and departures, as well as the diversion of several aircraft.