Looking at the Preparations for the 2024 Hajj Pilgrimage Services in East Java

Apart from being the largest source of Hajj pilgrims, Surabaya embarkation has a wide range of services, including Bali and NTT.

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Hajj pilgrims debarkating from Surabaya arrived back at Juanda Airport in Surabaya, Tuesday (4/7/2023).

East Java once again plays a crucial role in organizing the Hajj pilgrimage in 2024 in Indonesia. Besides being the source of the largest number of Hajj pilgrims, the Surabaya embarkation also has a wide service coverage, including Bali and Nusa Tenggara. Therefore, the Saudi Arabian Government considers it necessary to provide direct services in this "Majapahit land".

Based on data from the Ministry of Religious Affairs, the total quota for Indonesia's Hajj pilgrimage in 2024 is 241,000 members of the congregation and 4,200 officials. Of that number, 221,000 people are included in the regular Hajj quota, while 20,000 are included in the additional Hajj quota. In terms of facilities, the Hajj pilgrims are divided into regular groups consisting of 213,320 members of the congregation, while the other 27,680 are for special Hajj.

Indonesian hajj pilgrims will begin entering the hajj dormitories on May 11, 2024. They will gradually fly to Saudi Arabia on May 12, 2024. The departure of Indonesian hajj pilgrims will be divided into two waves, with the first scheduled from May 12-23, 2024 and the second wave taking place from May 24-June 10, 2024.

From East Java, Hajj pilgrims from the districts of Bojonegoro and Lamongan are scheduled to start entering the Sukolilo Hajj Dormitory in Surabaya on May 11, 2024. After undergoing a series of health, baggage, and immigration checks, the pilgrims are scheduled to fly to the Holy Land via Juanda Surabaya Airport on May 12, 2024.

Also read: Departures for Hajj without an official visa will be dealt with strictly

The Director of Domestic Hajj Services at the Ministry of Religious Affairs, H Saiful Mujab, stated that the government is preparing 14 hajj embarkation points. The hajj pilgrims will be divided into 554 flying groups (kloter). For East Java, 106 kloter will be departing this year, which is the highest number compared to previous years.

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Elderly companions helped elderly hajj pilgrims. The elderly hajj pilgrims from Bangkalan, East Java, under the first flight group of the Surabaya embarkation, walked towards the Saudi Arabian plane on Wednesday (24/5/2023).

"In terms of air transportation operation, the government has designated two airlines, Garuda Indonesia and Saudi Arabian Airlines, to transport Indonesian hajj pilgrims," said Saiful at the inauguration of the Hajj Worship Organizer Officer (PPIH) on Friday (3/5/2025) evening in Surabaya.

He added that Garuda Indonesia will fly Indonesian Hajj pilgrims back and forth from the embarkation points of Aceh, Medan, Padang, some parts of Jakarta, Solo, Banjarmasin, Balikpapan, Makassar, and Lombok. As for Saudi Arabian Airlines, they will fly pilgrims from the embarkation points of Batam, Palembang, some parts of Jakarta, Kertajati, and Surabaya.

Preparation

In welcoming the arrival of the Hajj season this year, several preparations are being made. One of them is the appointment of 23 PPIH members from various institutions, including the East Java Provincial Government, the East Java Provincial Office of the Ministry of Religion, and the East Java Provincial Office of the Ministry of Law and Human Rights.

Also read: Half of Indonesian Hajj Pilgrims Enter the Fast Track

In addition, Surabaya City Police, East Java Health Department, Juanda Airport Authority Office, Class 1 Surabaya Port Health Office, UPT Surabaya Hajj Dormitory, Class 1 Surabaya Immigration Office, Mid-Level Customs Monitoring and Service Office at Juanda Port, Surabaya Hajj Hospital, and Angkasa Pura 1 Juanda Airport are involved.

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The first group of Surabaya embarkation Hajj pilgrims walked towards the Saudi Arabia plane, Wednesday (24/5/2023). They come from Bangkalan, East Java.

Acting Governor of East Java, Adhy Karyono, advised hajj organizers to uphold three main principles, namely to nurture, serve, and protect the pilgrims throughout all stages of worship. The message is also an effort to realize elderly-friendly hajj services despite the presence of family companionship this year.

"Last year, elderly people did not receive any assistance quota. Thankfully, this year there is an assistance quota. Hopefully, it will bring goodness to everyone," said Adhy Karyono.

The Acting Head of the East Java Ministry of Religious Affairs Regional Office, Mufi Imron Rosyadi, said that this year's Surabaya embarkation will serve 39,228 pilgrims. Of that number, 37,271 come from East Java, 732 from Bali, and 695 from NTT. The number of officers for the batch is 530 people.

"The average PPIH at the embarkation point in Surabaya will serve pilgrims who are entering and leaving the hajj dormitories to depart for Saudi Arabia. There are four to five groups per day," said Mufi.

The Head of the Islamic Religious Information Division of the East Java Ministry of Religion said that his party continues to strive to improve the quality of Hajj services. One of them is by designating Juanda Airport as one of the airports that provides Mecca Road services, namely fast track services to Hajj pilgrims.

The number of hajj passports issued by nine immigration offices in East Java is currently at 27,527. All of them have been issued, so there are no longer any issues related to travel documents for hajj pilgrims.

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Elderly and sick pilgrims use the passenger lift facility. The first group of Surabaya embarkation Hajj pilgrims walked towards the Saudi Arabia plane, Wednesday (24/5/2023). They come from Bangkalan, East Java.

This facility is in the form of passport verification services for hajj pilgrims by Saudi Arabian immigration officers carried out directly at Juanda Airport. With this service, hajj pilgrims arriving at the arrival airport, whether in Jeddah or Madinah, can go directly to their hotels without having to queue for passport checks at the destination airport.

Still in an effort to support the implementation of the Hajj pilgrimage this year, the East Java Regional Office of the Ministry of Law and Human Rights is implementing a one stop service which is centered at the Sukolilo Hajj Dormitory. Head of the Immigration Division of the Regional Office of the East Java Ministry of Law and Human Rights, Herdaus, said that this service is an innovation in the immigration inspection mechanism.

The Deputy Chair of the Surabaya Embarkation/Debarkation PPIH added that this service is a form of synergy and collaboration between various agencies for the clearance of Hajj pilgrims' passports. His party is also preparing a border control management system to expedite the passport inspection process for Hajj pilgrims which is scheduled for May 11, 2024 to July 22, 2024.

Herdaus added that the immigration standard procedures applied in the Hajj pilgrims' service are still the same as last year, which requires every person who enters and exits Indonesia to have valid and up-to-date travel documents. The documents referred to are passports and visas.

"Interestingly, the clearance process in East Java is not only carried out by Indonesian immigration officers, but also Saudi Arabian immigration who are present directly at Juanda Airport. "This means that after Indonesian immigration clears, Saudi Arabian immigration will continue in the same place," he explained.

He mentioned that the passport issuance process for hajj pilgrims from East Java runs smoothly. Surabaya Immigration also provides a pick-up service at the Ministry of Religion's offices in each district/city. The challenge of this year's hajj service is the increasing number of pilgrims, prompting immigration to optimize its personnel.

"The number of Hajj passports issued by nine immigration offices in East Java is currently 27,527. They have all been issued, so there is no longer any issue related to travel documents for Hajj pilgrims," said Herdaus.

Even though they have made various preparations, organizers are asked to continue holding joint evaluations as a lesson so that the implementation of the Hajj can be better.

Also read: Ahead of the Departure of the Congregation, 195,917 Hajj Visas Have Been Issued