Jakarta. Indonesia is currently in talks with Saudi Arabia to open up a route for its pilgrims at the latter’s Taif Airport.

The world’s largest Muslim-majority country, Indonesia, sends over 200,000 pilgrims to Mecca each year for hajj, the mandatory Islamic pilgrimage. There are also countless other Indonesians visiting Mecca for the minor pilgrimage, umrah. According to Transport Minister Dudy Purwagandhi, talks are underway to give Indonesian pilgrims alternative routes to fly to the holiest Muslim city. The discussions also involved the authority responsible for the airport's management.

“The Taif airport can be an alternative for our pilgrims so they have access to other routes aside from Jeddah and Medina. This way, we can lessen the crowds. The Taif Airport is also not that far, as it is only 70 kilometers away from Mecca,” Dudy was quoted as saying on Monday. 

This year marked the first time for Indonesian hajj pilgrims to use the Taif airport. As many as 44 people set foot at the airport on May 28. “Their arrival marked a milestone in our efforts to diversify Saudi-bound routes,” Dudy said.

Saudi Arabia is letting Indonesia send as many as 221,000 pilgrims for the 2025 Hajj season. The Middle Eastern nation saw the lowest number of pilgrims for 30 years, excluding the Covid-19 pandemic, as the annual pilgrimage attracted around 1.67 million Muslims. A majority of them came from outside Saudi Arabia.