94 Umrah Congregants Failed To Fly Because There Are No KKP Officers at Surabaya Juanda Airport

Juanda Airport Surabaya/DOK Antara

SURABAYA - As many as 94 Umrah pilgrims from various regions in East Java failed to go to the Holy Land. They failed to fly because they could not validate health documents. After all, there was not a single Surabaya Class I Port Health Office (KKP) officer at Juanda Sidoarjo International Airport on duty.

"Because of the absence of this KKP officer, 94 Umrah pilgrims failed to fly", said Chairman of the Regional Management Board of the East Java Indonesian Hajj and Umrah Organizing Association (Amphuri), M Sufyan Arif, confirmed Tuesday, September 27.

Sufyan explained that the 94 Umrah pilgrims who failed to fly were dispatched by three travel agents. Each of them dispatched 63 people, 27 people, and four people. They come from various areas in East Java, mostly from Bondowoso, Probolinggo, Jember, and Situbondo.

From Juanda Airport in Surabaya, they had originally flown by using the airline Air Asia and transited in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. From Banda Kuala Lumpur, they were just flown to Saudi Arabia by using a Saudia Airlines plane today.

According to schedule, said Sufyan, the congregation flew from Juanda Airport on Monday, September 26, at 05.20 WIB. Because they had to go through the process of validating travel documents at Immigration and validating the meningitis vaccine at the KKP, the congregation arrived at Juanda Airport at around 03.00 WIB.

"Immigration is open, but what is not yet available is for the KKP", he said.

The Immigration Office, Juanda Airport, and flights have actually contacted the KKP. The travel agency and airport officials have also knocked on the door of the KKP base camp in Juanda, but there is also no one officer.

"The new officers arrived at five minutes to five (04.55 WIB)", he said.

Of course, the remaining 25 minutes were not enough for the congregation to fly because the meningitis vaccine validation process had to be in line. Finally, the plane flew without waiting for the 94 Umrah pilgrims.

"The plane, right, has to keep flying, it's impossible to wait for the congregation", he said.

Finally, the travel agency transited the congregation to the nearest hotel, while looking for a solution to dispatch the congregation.

Information obtained by Sufyan, as many as 27 people were flown by the travel party using another plane with the Surabaya-Jakarta-Kuala Lumpur route this morning.

"To catch Saudia Airlines to Saudi Arabia", he said.