Jeddah, Indonesia Sentinel- The Directorate General (DG) of Hajj and Umrah (PHU) agreed to synergize with Saudia Airlines in the flight of Indonesian pilgrims 1444 H/2023 AD. The agreement between the two parties was marked by the signing of a cooperation agreement for the transportation of regular pilgrims by the Director General of PHU, Hilman Latief and General Manager, Hajj and Umrah Revenue Management and Sales, Amer Al Ghamdi, at the Hajj Affairs Office of the Consulate General in Jeddah, Monday (17/4/2023).
Both parties agreed on a number of obligations and rights in the context of providing air transportation for regular Hajj pilgrims. Saudia Airlines will facilitate the flight of 101,809 pilgrims. They come from five Hajj embarkations, namely: Batam, Palembang, Jakarta, Kertajati, and Surabaya.
“As a partner that has been transporting Indonesian hajj pilgrims for many years, it is expected that Saudia can improve the quality of its services to this year’s pilgrims,” Hilman Latief explained.
“The discussion of this cooperation agreement is not easy, requires long discussions, details, and requires patience and thoroughness. Therefore, we would like to express our gratitude to Saudia Airlines. The success of Hajj services by the Indonesian Government is also a success for Saudia Airlines,” he added.
Hilman added, this year more than 60 thousand pilgrims are 65 years old and above. So, it requires Saudia Airlines’ support and services that are more friendly to pilgrims. “Therefore, this year, the organization of the Hajj pilgrimage has the tagline “Hajj Friendly for the Elderly”, continued Hilman.
Representing Saudia Airlines, Amer Al Ghamdi thanked the Ministry of Religious Affairs for cooperating with Saudia Airlines for the past 25 years. “This year the requirements to become an air transportation provider are not easy, and thankfully today the cooperation agreement can be signed,” Amer said.
“Thanks are also extended to the Jeddah Hajj Affairs Office for preparing the facilities for this signing. Hopefully this year we can serve the Hajj pilgrims even better,” he added.
Present at the signing of this cooperation, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Indonesia to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Abdul Azis Ahmad, appreciated Saudia Airlines for the trust in becoming an air transportation provider for Indonesian pilgrims. According to him, the future business challenges for both countries are getting tougher. “The business challenges in the future will be tougher because business competition has become a reality,” Abdul Azis explained.
“The business we do is a responsible business, which is to provide the best service to customers, in this case Indonesian hajj pilgrims,” he explained.
Also present at the signing of this cooperation agreement were the Indonesian Consul General in Jeddah, Inspector General of the Ministry of Religious Affairs, Director of Domestic Hajj Services of the Directorate General of PHU, Consul of Hajj at the Indonesian Consulate General, management of Saudia Airlines and other invited guests. (kemenag.go.id)
