Postponement Of Return Of Hajj Pilgrims To Indonesia, Cak Imin, Strong Criticism Of Garuda Indonesia

Chairman of the Indonesian House of Representatives Hajjwas Muhaimin Iskandar (left) monitors the implementation of Hajj in Saudi Arabia. (ANTARA)

JAKARTA - Chairman of the House of Representatives' Hajj Supervisory Team Abdul Muhaimin Iskandar or Cak Imin highlighted the postponement of flights from Indonesian pilgrims to the country experienced by the Kualanamu 03 Embarkation Group (KNO-03).

"KNO 3 Medan harus delay seharusnya 18.40, delay hingga 06.45 WAS (Time Arab Saudi), padahal jemaah sudah masuk ke bus," kata Cak Imin dalam keterangan yang dikutip ANTARA, Kamis, 27 Juni.

He also highlighted that 60 clusters that were supposed to fly from Makkah were forced to experience changes in flight plans through Medina, resulting in discomfort.

"Congregants who should have flown through Makkah, then there were 60 groups who had to return to Medina and planned to fly through Medina," he said.

For this reason, Cak Imin also gave a strong note on the performance of airline company Garuda Indonesia in organizing the 2024 pilgrimage.

"Currently very crowded, the pilgrims are very disappointed, we can't do anything," he said.

Previously, the Indonesian pilgrims' group, the KNO-03 group, experienced a delay in their flight schedule to Indonesia.

Initially they were scheduled to fly from Amir Muhammad bin Abdul Aziz Airport, Medina, at 18.40 WAS, Tuesday, June 25. However, the schedule was suddenly pushed back to around 06.45 WAS on Wednesday, June 26 morning.

In the phase of Hajj's return, there were also 46 pilgrims who experienced changes in flight routes, from those who were supposed to return to their homeland via Jeddah to be changed through Medina.

Indonesian pilgrims in the KNO-02 cluster also experienced flight delays to their homeland for up to five hours from the schedule that was supposed to be on Monday.