Fast-Track Aids Pilgrims

KOMPAS/PRIYOMBODO

Officers collect data on prospective Hajj pilgrims who take care of passports at the Class I immigration office specifically for West Jakarta, Saturday (02/02/2019).

Fast-track immigration arrangements assist Indonesian Hajj pilgrims on flights to Saudi Arabia. Due to being managed in Jakarta, the immigration process is shorter.

MEKKAH, KOMPAS — A segment of Hajj pilgrims from Indonesia enjoy convenient immigration checks on the fast-track to Saudi Arabia. The immigration process is managed from start to finish by Saudi Arabian officials in Jakarta so that, when getting off the plane in Mecca or Medina, the pilgrims can go directly to the pick-up buses without any other immigration checks.

Thus far, the fast lane has only been enjoyed by pilgrims flying from the Jakarta-Pondok Gede and Jakarta-Bekasi embarkation, namely a total of 73 groups or about 29,000 pilgrims. The pilgrims from other flight embarkations are still using the normal route with the immigration-check process at Indonesian airports and airports in Saudi Arabia.

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The Indonesian Consul General in Jeddah, Eko Hartono, told the Hajj Media Center (MCH) at King Abdul Aziz International Airport in Jeddah, on Sunday (19/6/2022), that pilgrims flying through Soekarno-Hatta International Airport have enjoyed the fast lane, both the first batch to Medina and the second batch to Mecca.

"Hopefully the fast-track facilitation can be expanded not only in Cengkareng, [West Java], but also at other airports in Surakarta, Juanda (Surabaya), Medan and Makassar," he said.

Saudi Arabian officials complete immigration checks for pilgrims at the airport in Jakarta. As soon as they arrive at the airport in Arabia, the pilgrims get off the plane and immediately get on the bus to be transferred to the hotel.

According to the chairman of the Saudi Arabia Hajj Organizing Committee (PPIH), Arsad Hidayat, fast-track is an innovation that can shorten immigration arrangements at airports in Saudi Arabia from up to two hours to just a few minutes. Saudi Arabian officials complete immigration checks for pilgrims at the airport in Jakarta. As soon as they arrive at the airport in Arabia, the pilgrims get off the plane and immediately get on the bus to be transferred to the hotel.

KOMPAS/NASRULLAH NARA

Officers process the data of prospective pilgrims for the purpose of issuing visas.

"Thank you. Our appreciation to the government of Saudi Arabia. Ten years ago, [the fast-track] had not yet happened," he said.

Second batch

On Sunday, the second batch of pilgrims from Indonesia began arriving in Mecca. One of them, 393 pilgrims from the Jakarta-Pondok Gede group, arrived at Jeddah Airport at 3:00 a.m. Saudi Arabian time. They continued their journey by bus to a hotel in the Raudah area, Mecca, and arrived at around 5:30 a.m. local time.

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The pilgrims said they were happy to be flown to Mecca via the fast lane. Their immigration was managed at the airport in Jakarta by Indonesian and Saudi Arabian officials for about two hours. Upon arriving at the airport in Jeddah, there were no more immigration matters.

“Arriving at the airport here, go straight to the bus and go to the hotel. Everything is moving fast, we don't have to wait long,” said Samsudin Hasan (54), a pilgrim of the group from Lebak, Banten, to Kompas journalist Ilham Khoiri in Raudah, on Sunday morning.

The pilgrims put their luggage and rest at the hotel, then left for the Grand Mosque to perform the obligatory Umrah before the Hajj pilgrimage in early July 2022. For this reason, they had been wearing white ihram clothes from the Pondok Gede Hajj Dormitory, East Jakarta.

Preparation for ‘wukuf’

In Mecca, the head of the Mecca Work Area, Muhammad Khanif invited MCH journalists to review the preparations for the wukuf worship in Arafah, mabit (stay) in Muzdalifah and Mina and throwing the jumrah in Mina. The PPIH delegation saw the tents that had been installed in Arafah which were equipped with air conditioning. In Muzdalifah, the local Saudi Arabian committee had prepared pebbles for the pilgrims to take and use to throw the jumrah in Mina.

Sanitation has also been improved. A number of workers were still repairing various facilities.

PPIH also observed the pilgrims' tents in Mina, which have been equipped with tiled floors and with permanent toilets. Sanitation has also been improved. A number of workers were still repairing various facilities.

“The Hajj committee in Saudi Arabia promised that there would be quality improvements. In the two years of the pandemic, apparently there have been improvements here and there," said Khanif.

(This article was translated by Hyginus Hardoyo)