Jakarta. As many as 14,000 Indonesian Umrah pilgrims had their flights canceled after Mount Anak Krakatau’s volcanic ash disrupted the airspace.

According to government estimates, these people were supposed to travel between September 5 (Friday) and September 7 (Monday).

Mount Anak Krakatau began erupting late on Friday, with the eruptive episode lasting for around 25 hours. Its volcanic ash has prompted airport closures, including at Indonesia’s main international airport: Soekarno-Hatta. 

Deputy Hajj Minister Dahnil Anzar Simanjuntak said Tuesday that some of these pilgrims had returned home. Others stayed at the Hajj dormitory in Tangerang before going back to their hometowns.  

“But the travel agencies and airlines have to make sure that they still depart for their trips. … The [Soekarno-Hatta] Airport has resumed operations, so the pilgrims should be able to travel to Saudi Arabia,” Dahnil said.

The government has also requested umrah travel agencies and airlines to ensure the pilgrims’ rescheduled trips “as soon as possible”. Dahnil went on to say that the pilgrims will not have to pay additional costs to have their Umrah rescheduled.

The ministry also has a team in Saudi Arabia to make sure the pilgrims there have their return tickets. Dahnil said that the government had not received any reports of any overstaying Indonesians amid the travel disruptions.

Indonesia is the world’s largest Muslim-majority country. Umrah is the minor pilgrimage that involves Muslims traveling to Mecca.

The Soekarno-Hatta Airport has resumed operations since the early hours of Tuesday. However, Transportation Minister Dudy Purwagandhi told the press that they would need “a little extra time for the preparations”, citing that the authorities and airlines had to make sure that everything was ash-free.

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