Hundreds of umrah pilgrims from various regions became stuck at the Terminal 3 check-in lounge of Soekarno-Hatta International Airport. They held boarding passes in their hands, but their departure was uncertain.
By
KOMPAS TEAM
·4 minutes read
On Thursday (27/2/2020), hundreds of umrah (minor haj) pilgrims from various regions became stuck at the Terminal 3 check-in lounge of Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Banten. They held boarding passes in their hands, but their departure was uncertain.
Abdul, 37, who hails from Yogyakarta and was supposed to have departed at around 3 p.m. to Medina, Saudi Arabia, had not been informed that his travel plans had been cancelled. Despite hearing rumors of a ban earlier in the day as he leaving Yogyakarta for Jakarta, he believed that there was still hope.
“We arrived here at 10 a.m. and we could still check in and get our boarding passes. However, at 12:10 p.m., suddenly there was news that we could not depart. Some of our suitcases had already been checked in,” he said.
The cancellation is all over the news on TV.
That afternoon, Ninin, 47, sat limply near the exit of Terminal 3. The Tangerang resident had arrived at the airport at 1:30 p.m., about to go on umrah with a group of 32 people.
However, she was forced to cancel her plans after the Saudi Arabian government issued a temporary ban on umrah for all foreigners, including Indonesians. The measure was taken to prevent the spread of Covid-19, which is caused by the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2.
Ninin looked disheartened. She could not believe that her plans, which she had prepared some time ago, had been suddenly cancelled. Furthermore, she was concerned about what her neighbors would say about the cancellation.
The tour group coordinator Ana tried to console Ninin, saying, “Don’t think about what your neighbors will say. They will understand. The cancellation is all over the news on TV.”
Wrong time
Sunarsih, 63, from Pamulang, South Tangerang, was also saddened by the ban. The seller of gado-gado (vegetable salad with peanut sauce) had saved money for two years so he could go on umrah. Every time she had a little extra money, she put some of it aside. Her hopes that she would one day set foot in the holy cities of Islam are imbued in every rupiah of the money she had saved.
“Every time I had extra money, I saved it. I used it to buy gold. Otherwise, I would have used the money for other purposes,” she said.
Sunarsih had dreamt about going to the holy cities for three years. At first, she believed that it would be impossible for a poor person like her to go on umrah. Sunarsih overcame her own doubts by saving up.
The long awaited day arrived. On Thursday, she and 14 other pilgrims arrived at the airport at 1 p.m. She was supposed to take her flight that afternoon. After waiting two hours in the boarding lounge, Sunarsih had not heard any boarding call. It was then that she learned that her trip to Saudi Arabia had been cancelled until further notice. “What can I do? Perhaps this is not the right time,” she said.
Aside from the pilgrims who were stuck at airports around Indonesia, others were already mid-flight and headed toward Saudi Arabia when the travel ban was announced. Operational director E. Kosari of Kabilah Tour, which specializes in arranging umrah travel, said that he was confused about the fate of pilgrims already en route to Saudi Arabia when the ban was announced. “Just yesterday [Thursday], 30 pilgrims managed by Kabilah Tour departed from Soekarno-Hatta Airport at 10 a.m.,” he said.
Umrah and Haj Organizers Association secretary-general Anton Subekti said that umrah travel agencies were faced with resolving two critical problems. One, postponing the trips of pilgrims stuck at airports in Indonesia and transit countries. Two, managing the pilgrims already in Saudi Arabia.
“We are monitoring how many pilgrims are currently in Saudi Arabia. There is a huge financial risk, as we may need to arrange the pilgrims’ [extended] stay there,” Anton said.