JAKARTA: Deputy Haj and Umrah Minister Dahnil Anzar Simanjuntak has urged Indonesian umrah pilgrims to prioritise direct flights to Saudi Arabia over transit routes through Singapore and Malaysia, citing the potential to strengthen the country’s aviation industry.
Dahnil said the other reason is to reduce risks amid the escalating conflict in the Middle East, but stressed that umrah activities in Saudi Arabia remained unaffected.
“We have gathered pilgrims and umrah travel operator (PPIU) associations to bring this to the attention of travel businesses. We have asked the associations not to choose transit flights through Malaysia or Singapore for the time being,” he said.
“Direct flights to Jeddah or Medina are safer, so we recommend that option.”
According to Dahnil, around 70,000 Indonesian umrah pilgrims use transit routes through Malaysia and Singapore, representing a potential source of demand for Indonesian airlines if more travelers are directed toward domestic carriers.
“If those pilgrims using transit flights through Malaysia and Singapore were redirected to national airlines, it would also help our national economy. We must support our two national airlines, Lion Air and Garuda Indonesia,” he said.
However, Dahnil said domestic carriers also needed to improve their services and offer competitive fares to attract passengers and strengthen their position in international markets.
To address service concerns, the ministry also brought together executives from Garuda Indonesia, Lion Air and airport operator Angkasa Pura to discuss umrah flight services, including improvements at the airport’s haj and umrah terminal.
Dahnil also called for better services at Terminal 2, which handles haj and umrah flights, to make pilgrims’ journeys more comfortable and orderly.
Separately, the ministry is offering assistance to umrah travel operators facing difficulties obtaining refunds, which Dahnil said had hindered the fulfillment of some operators’ rights.
“Many PPIU operators also face obstacles concerning their rights related to refunds. We will provide assistance,” he said.
Dahnil thanked the Saudi Arabian government for its cooperation in organising umrah trips, emphasising that Indonesia wanted to ensure pilgrims could perform their religious duties safely and return home without incident.
He added that President Prabowo Subianto’s emphasis on economic sovereignty should also extend to haj and umrah services, with greater use of direct flights operated by Indonesian airlines serving both safety and economic objectives.
“President Prabowo wants economic sovereignty, and this must also apply to umrah and haj,” Dahnil said.
As background, ministers from Singapore and Indonesia are currently raising the stakes in a diplomatic spat over a gas supply cut, trading pointed remarks amid a widening rift over the regional haze crisis caused by forest and land fires that have sent smoke across neighboring countries, including Singapore and Malaysia.
In the latest salvo of an increasingly testy bilateral conflict, Coordinating Downstream and Energy Transition Minister Bahlil Lahadalia on Monday (Oct 26) pushed back against criticism of Jakarta’s decision to cut gas exports to Singapore. He insisted the move fell within contractual limits and followed President Prabowo’s instruction to honor Indonesia’s obligations. - THE JAKARTA POST/ANN - THE STAR