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View all search resultsSaudi carrier Mukhtara Air to take off in Indonesia next year
A subsidiary of Medina-based hospitality company Manazil Al Mukhtara Group, the airline is set to start serving international and domestic routes in January from its new base in Indonesia.
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A group of pilgrims, among the 400 who were part of the 2025 haj season’s first cohort, head to the departure terminal at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Banten, to board their flights on May 1 from Jakarta to Medina, Saudi Arabia. (Antara/Muhammad Iqbal)
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audi Arabian carrier Mukhtara Air aims to begin its Indonesian operations in January 2026 as PT Manazil Al Mukhtara Indo, serving both domestic and international routes, with the latter mainly for travelers performing haj and umrah (minor pilgrimage).
The airline is a subsidiary of Manazil Al Mukhtara Group, a hospitality conglomerate based in Medina that provides accommodation as well as air and land transportation for haj and umrah pilgrims and regular travelers.
Mukhtara Air airline “is our commitment to making a large investment in Indonesia, and we want to bring an internationally standardized, full service for haj pilgrims and general passengers”, group chairman Sami Al Harbi said on Friday, as quoted by state-owned news agency Antara.
Andik Setiawan, operations director at Mukhtara Air’s local entity, confirmed the January launch of the airline’s Indonesian operations on Friday, during a ceremony at Halim Perdanakusuma International Airport in East Jakarta to mark the arrival of its first aircraft from Sharjah, the United Arab Emirates.
He added that the carrier was still in the process of obtaining an air operator certificate (AOC), which is required fly in Indonesia’s airspace.
Air transportation director general Lukman F. Laisa said on Monday in a statement from the Transportation Ministry that Mukhtara Air had entered the fourth of five stages in air operator certification. After securing the AOC, it must then apply for a Flight Route Implementation Determination (PPRP) before commencing operations, he said.
“After all requirements are fulfilled and declared fit by the flight authority, only then can a company be permitted to operate regularly,” said Lukman.
