JAKARTA - Presidential Special Advisor for Hajj Muhadjir Effendy, revealed the government's plan to accelerate the repatriation process for Indonesian pilgrims by adding flight slots. One of the proposed ways is to maximize the use of Taif Airport in Saudi Arabia.
According to Muhadjir, Taif Airport, which operates for 24 hours, has great potential because so far it has been used as an alternative entrance for Indonesian pilgrims. The airport has two runways that can accommodate large-body aircraft and is only about 70 kilometers from Makkah.
"If possible, 10 flight slots will be added per day. This will speed up the process of repatriating the congregation and reduce the stay period that has been burdening the cost of Hajj," Muhadjir told the media crew, Thursday, June 12.
On the same occasion, Muhadjir also mentioned the plan to build the Indonesian Hajj Village in Makkah as part of the Hajj diplomacy strategy which was President Prabowo's mandate.
He conveyed that President Prabowo has a vision that the implementation of Hajj is not only interpreted as a spiritual worship, but can also be an opportunity to build a global economic ecosystem for Muslims.
Muhadjir added that in the Qur'an it was stated that transactions during Hajj were allowed. He considered this to be a momentum to build an annual transaction center between Islamic countries, with Kampung Haji being the starting point.
"The government is also careful in choosing investors and it is likely that in July 2025 President Prabowo will meet with King Salman," he added.
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Regarding the implementation of the 2025 Hajj, Muhadjir stated that in general it had gone well, although there were a number of challenges due to policy changes from the Saudi Arabian government, one of which was the sharia system which is now increasing from one to eight. However, according to him, Indonesia has been able to adapt well.
"This is proof that the quality of Indonesia's hajj management is quite capable," concluded Muhadjir.
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