Jakarta. The Religious Affairs Ministry and the national flag carrier Garuda Indonesia signed a contract for transporting Indonesian Hajj pilgrims in 2024 on Friday. Garuda Indonesia will carry a total of 109,072 passengers, including pilgrims and staff during the upcoming Hajj season, starting in May.

The signing ceremony was conducted by the Director-General of Hajj and Umrah  Hilman Latief and the President Director of Garuda Indonesia Irfan Setiaputra in Jakarta on Friday.

"Garuda Indonesia is committed to flight safety, and service excellence, and we are adding some extra services for Indonesian Hajj pilgrims," Irfan said in a statement.

The passengers will be distributed among 294 flight groups departing from nine departure points, namely Aceh, Medan, Padang, Jakarta, Solo, Banjarmasin, Balikpapan, Makassar, and Lombok. For these services, Garuda Indonesia will deploy 14 aircraft, including Boeing 777-400, Boeing 747-400, and Airbus A330-300.

According to Irfan, additional services prepared by Garuda Indonesia for this year include an increase in the number of wheelchair seats and the deployment of more staff.

"We will also prepare additional services by special staff to handle the loading and unloading of pilgrims' belongings inside the cabin, especially during the return flights. This is particularly important for the Makassar area, where usually the amount of luggage is higher," added Irfan.

Meanwhile, Hilman hoped Garuda Indonesia could provide the best service to Indonesian Hajj pilgrims,  given that around one-third of departing pilgrims are over the age of 65. The government continues to promote the Elderly-Friendly Hajj program. 

"This needs to be the airline's concern to provide priority services for elderly Hajj pilgrims. Also, for disabled pilgrims, I hope this will also be a concern for Garuda Indonesia," he said.