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View all search resultsJakarta races to bring home pilgrims amid Mideast travel disruptions
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Muslims participate in a special morning prayer around the Kaaba in the Grand Mosque complex to mark the start of the Idul Adha festival on June 6, 2025, in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by/AFP)
J
akarta is scrambling to bring home thousands of umrah (minor haj) pilgrims stranded in Saudi Arabia after sweeping airspace closures linked to the United States–Israel war against Iran disrupted travel across the Middle East, though limited flights are still operating.
So far 7,782 pilgrims have been successfully repatriated since Feb. 28, according to a statement from the Haj and Umrah Ministry, while more than 50,000 others remain in Saudi Arabia.
Speaking to reporters earlier this week, Deputy Haj and Umrah Minister Dahnil Anzar Simanjutak said intensive cross-institutional coordination was still ongoing to ensure the safety of Indonesian citizens in the conflict-ridden region.
“The safety of pilgrims is our top priority. We continue to coordinate intensively with the Foreign Ministry and all relevant parties to ensure pilgrims can return safely,” Dahnil said on Tuesday.
“We are preparing a number of mitigation measures. If necessary, additional fleet capacity and route adjustments will be arranged to ensure pilgrims can return home safely and on time,” he added, while advising prospective umrah pilgrims to postpone or adjust their travel plans until the situation stabilizes.
Read also: Pertamina vessels among 200 tankers stranded in Gulf
Concerns over the safety of Indonesian citizens in West Asia have intensified in recent weeks as the war involving Iran, Israel and the US spread across the region, prompting several Gulf nations to close their airspace while governments around the world prepare contingency plans to evacuate their citizens.
