Menhaj: If the Cost of Hajj Increases, the President Requests That It Not Be Imposed on the Pilgrims

JAKARTA - President Prabowo Subianto asked that if the cost of organizing the 2026 hajj must increase due to a surge in global jet fuel prices, then do not burden the Indonesian prospective pilgrims.

"The President is concerned that if there is an increase in costs, he asks that it not be imposed on our pilgrims," said Minister of Hajj and Umrah (Menhaj) Mochamad Irfan Yusuf during a Working Meeting (Raker) with Commission VIII of the DPR, reported by ANTARA, Wednesday, April 8.

Menhaj Irfan said President Prabowo's direction was conveyed in a limited meeting with government officials a few days ago.

He explained that when the war had not broken out, the average cost of flight per member of the congregation was in the range of IDR 33.5 million. However, when the conflict broke out and caused oil prices to soar, the airline proposed additional costs.

In a scenario without changes to flight routes, the average cost per person is estimated to increase to Rp. 46.9 million or an increase of 39.85 percent. Meanwhile, if rerouting is carried out to avoid conflict airspace, costs can increase to Rp. 50.8 million or an increase of around 51.48 percent.

The Garuda Indonesia airline, he said, proposed an additional fee of around Rp7.9 million per person, while Saudi Airlines proposed an increase of 480 US dollars per person.

Despite facing this pressure, MenhajIrfan emphasized that the President's direction is the main reference for the government in formulating policy steps.

"That is the commitment of President Prabowo who has asked us with the team to be able to follow up and calculate how much the actual needs are," said Menhaj Irfan.

The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah (Kemenhaj) stated that Indonesia received an official quota of 221,000 people for the 2026 Hajj quota, consisting of 203,320 regular hajjis and 17,680 special hajjis.

In addition, the Ministry of Religion has scheduled the first group of prospective pilgrims to enter the Hajj dormitory on April 21, 2026 and be dispatched to the Holy Land on April 22.

"So God willing, the President has offered a solution, has provided a solution to ensure that the burden of pilgrims is not increased. Even though there is an increase in avtur," said Deputy Minister of Hajj and Umrah (Wamenhaj) Dahnil Anzar Simanjuntak.