"We have asked the airport management, Angkasa Pura II and Garuda Indonesia to improve their services," the minister said in his statement received by Antara here.
The minister called upon the Directorate General of Air Transportation to continue coordinating with the Religion Ministry to provide best services to the devout pilgrims.
The Hajj pilgrims will start departing on August 9 and flights will continue to depart till September 5, 2016.
The flights will depart in two phases. The first lot of flights will depart between August 9 and 21, while the second lot will depart between August 21 and September 5.
A total of 48,186 Hajj pilgrims in 114 flight groups will depart for Mecca via the Halim Perdanakusuma airport.
These pilgrims hail from Jakarta, West Java, Banten and Lampung provinces.
The airport management, a state-owned company, provides the southern apron and runway for the airplanes used for the Hajj pilgrimage flights.
The ministry has also coordinated with relevant institutions, including the Hajj flight operator, the Indonesian flight carrier, Garuda Indonesia, and Saudi Arabia Airlines.
This year, Garuda will be providing 12 planes. These will be Boeing 777 and 747, and Airbus A330.
Meanwhile, the Saudi Arabia Airlines provides Boeing 747 and Airbus A330.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2016
