JAKARTA: Saudi Arabia’s flagship Makkah Route initiative is extremely helpful in serving pilgrims from Indonesia, Hajj authorities said on Thursday, with the last batch of pilgrims set to depart from the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation later this week.
Indonesia is among seven Muslim-majority countries — alongside Pakistan, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Morocco, Turkiye and Cote d’Ivoire — where Saudi Arabia opened its Makkah Route initiative.
Almost 230,000 Indonesian pilgrims are expected to perform the spiritual journey this year, with the Southeast Asian country sending the biggest contingent of any country.
“Makkah Route, which we know better as fast track, is accelerating arrivals of Hajj pilgrims in Madinah and Jeddah airports,” Haryanto, who is in charge of airport operations with the Indonesian Hajj Organization Committee, told Arab News.
“This fast track has been extremely helpful in speeding up our services for Indonesian Hajj pilgrims. Their arrivals have been going very smoothly.”
Launched in 2019, the initiative is dedicated to Hajj pilgrims and allows them to fulfill all visa, customs and health requirements at the airport of origin, saving long hours of waiting. On arrival, pilgrims can enter the Kingdom faster, having already gone through visa and customs processes back home.
The program was available for about 55,000 Indonesian pilgrims flying from Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Jakarta.
With Indonesia’s special Hajj operations set to conclude on Saturday, Haryanto is also hoping for more coordination with the Kingdom’s authorities.
“This is to ease, smooth out the process of accepting Hajj pilgrim arrivals from Indonesia, which will also benefit the Saudi people. We need coordination and communication,” Haryanto said.
“The fast track has been going very well; it speeds things up. I am hoping for more assistance on the non-fast track route.”
Indonesia says Makkah Route initiative ‘extremely helpful’ in serving Hajj pilgrims
https://arab.news/vuvam
Indonesia says Makkah Route initiative ‘extremely helpful’ in serving Hajj pilgrims
- Indonesia among 7 Muslim countries where Saudi Arabia opened Makkah Route
- About 55,000 pilgrims flying from Jakarta airport are assisted under the fast-track program
Medical transport plane crashes in India with seven aboard
- The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said the Beechcraft C90 was operating a medical evacuation flight at the time of the crash
NEW DELHI: A chartered air ambulance with seven people on board crashed in eastern India on Monday, the country’s aviation regulator said.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said the Beechcraft C90 operating a “medical evacuation (Air Ambulance) flight” crashed in the Kasaria area of the eastern state of Jharkahnd.
The fate of the seven people, including two crew members, was not immediately known.
The DGCA said in a statement posted late Monday on social media that a “search and rescue team is at the location,” adding the a team of the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau was also being dispatched.
The aircraft operated by Redbird Airways Pvt Ltd. had taken off Monday evening from Ranchi, capital of Jharkhand, and was flying to Delhi carrying a patient and medical staff.
“The aircraft requested for deviation due to weather” and lost contact with air traffic radar in 23 minutes, DCGA said.
Local media reported the aircraft crashed into a forest.
Last month, a state leader from the western Maharashtra state and four others were killed when their chartered aircraft crashed while landing at the city of Baramati.
