JAKARTA - Three groups of Indonesian prospective pilgrims arrived in Madinah, Saudi Arabia, on Wednesday, with services running orderly and smoothly in the 1447 Hijriah/2026 Hijriah Hajj operations.
Kloter 1 Yogyakarta Embarkation (YIA) arrived at 06.20 Saudi Arabian Time (WAS), followed by Kloter 1 Jakarta-Pondok Gede Embarkation (JKG) with 391 people at 06.50 WAS, and Kloter 1 Kualanamu Embarkation (KNO) arrived at 10.00 WAS.
"Alhamdulillah, we thank the Government of Saudi Arabia for enabling the immigration process to run quickly through the fast track. In the future, we hope all pilgrims can experience this service," said the Indonesian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Abdul Aziz Ahmad, as quoted by ANTARA, Wednesday, April 22.
The arrival of pilgrims at the Amir Muhammad bin Abdul Aziz (AMAA) Airport in Madinah was greeted directly by the Indonesian Ambassador Abdul Aziz Ahmad, Consul General of the RI Jeddah Yusron B. Ambary, Deputy Chairman II of the PPIH Saudi Arabia Budi Agung Nugroho, Head of the Madinah Working Area Khalilurrahman, and other officers.
Abdul Aziz appreciated the Government of Saudi Arabia for its support in the implementation of the Makkah Route service which accelerates the immigration process for pilgrims.
Makkah Route (Makkah Route) is a strategic cooperation service between the Indonesian Immigration and Saudi Arabia which allows all immigration processes, such as passport, visa, and customs inspection of pilgrims, to be carried out directly at the departure airport in Indonesia.
With this scheme, upon arrival in Saudi Arabia, there is no need to queue for immigration checks and can go straight to the bus to be taken to the hotel.
The Ambassador added that the distribution of Nusuk cards since in the country has also made it easier for pilgrims to carry out their worship. In addition, appreciation was conveyed to all officers in Medina for their readiness and alertness in welcoming pilgrims.
"We appreciate the hard work of all officers so that the arrival process runs very smoothly," he said.
Regarding accommodation, pilgrims are placed with a scheme of one cluster per hotel to increase comfort. In this initial cluster, pilgrims occupy hotels in strategic areas of the courtyard of the Prophet's Mosque, such as the Taibah Front and Makarem Suite areas, which are within the scope of Sector 1, making it easier to access worship.
"During the approximately nine days in Madinah, pilgrims will receive full services before continuing their journey to Mecca," he said.
Meanwhile, the Head of the Madinah Working Area, Khalilurrahman, ensured that the entire arrival process was safe and without obstacles.
"Alhamdulillah, all the initial clusters arrived smoothly, orderly, and without any significant obstacles. This is a good start for this year's Hajj," he said.
The faces of the pilgrims who got off the bus looked full of happiness. Smiles and gratitude were reflected, reflecting the happiness of being able to arrive at the City of the Prophet. They also felt the service was getting better from the embarkation to arriving in Medina.
The sharikah (service provider company) also gave a special welcome to the jamaah as a form of respect for Allah's guests. The warm atmosphere that is the hallmark of the welcome in Madinah adds a deep impression for the jamaah at the beginning of their pilgrimage.
Overall, the implementation of the 2026 Hajj air transportation involves two airlines, namely Garuda Indonesia which serves 277 clusters (about 102,502 people) from 10 embarkations, and Saudia Airlines which handles 248 clusters.
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