The would-be hajj pilgrims arrived from Indonesia in 451 flight groups, the data obtained from the Hajj Integrated Computerized System (Siskohat) on Saturday showed.
Some 35,230 of the would-be hajj pilgrims boarded their flights to Saudi Arabia at Surabaya`s airport, 8,499 at Medan`s airport, 31,420 at Solo airport and 34,461 at West Java airports,
"All of Indonesia`s would-be hajj pilgrims are expected to have arrived in Saudi Arabia before the deadline on October 31 at 12 noon local time," Arysad Hidayat, the head of the Indonesian hajj reception committee for the Mecca area, said.
In the meantime, the number of Indonesian would-be hajj pilgrims who passed away in Saudi Arabia until Saturday morning (Oct.29) has reached 76.
Previously, Zainal Abidin Supi, the hajj services director of the religious affairs ministry, had reported that the first batch of thousands of would-be hajj pilgrims had simultaneously departed from 11 embarkation airports across the country, except Banjarmasin airport from where pilgrims had departed on Thursday (Oct 6).
For this year, the Saudi government had met Indonesia`s request to be allowed to send 10,000 more would-be hajj pilgrims bringing the total number of Indonesians making the hajj pilgrims in 2011 to 221,000. Around 80 percent of Indonesia`s 230 million population are Muslims. (*)
Editor: Aditia Maruli Radja
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
