First group of Indonesian pilgrims arrives

The first group of 455 Indonesian Haj pilgrims was received by Indonesian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia A.M. Fachir at King Abdulaziz International Airport on Monday afternoon. The pilgrims arrived aboard GA-1101 from Ujung Pandang.
Fachir was accompanied by the deputy Haj Consul at the Indonesian Haj Affairs office, Hidayat Jujanih, and other officials from the Indonesian consulate.
A second flight carrying another 455 pilgrims arrived simultaneously at Madinah’s Prince Mohammad bin Abdulaziz International Airport where they were received by the Indonesian Consul General in Jeddah, Dharmakirty Syailendra Putra, and the deputy head of the Indonesian Haj delegation.
The pilgrims who disembarked in Madinah were on a direct flight (GA 7101) to Madinah from Jakarta, an approximately nine-hour journey.
“Some 168,800 Indonesian pilgrims are expected to fly to Saudi Arabia to perform Haj this year,” Arsad Hidayat Jurjanih told Arab news. He added that 155,200 pilgrims have been registered under the state program with assistance from local governments.
The pilgrims are grouped in 371 flight batches departing from nine embarkation points from Sept.1 to Sept. 28. The remaining 13,600 pilgrims have opted for premium services provided by private Haj travel and tour operators.
This year, the Haj Affairs Office in the Kingdom has mobilized 595 seasonal Haj service personnel deployed in Jeddah, Makkah and Madinah.
The personnel have been carefully selected from the Indonesian expatriate community in the Kingdom and include Saudi university students and a health care team.
The personnel handle Haj receptions and departures, accommodation, transportation, food catering, pilgrims’ groups and their movement, guiding, immigration, transportation and consular affairs. Additionally, they provide information, security and health care services.
arabnews.com