By NNN-Antara,
Tangerang (Banten, Indonesia) : A total of 208,928 Indonesians are to perform the Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia this year, according to data from the religious affairs ministry.
Of the total number of would-be Hajj pilgrims, 60,053 would depart for Saudi Arabia from Soekarno-Hatta international airport, Haryanto of the state airport management company PT Angkasa Pura II, said here on Tuesday.
The number of would-be Hajj pilgrims to start their journey from Soekarno-Hatto airport this year represents an increase from a year earlier, he said.
The nearly 209,00 would-be pilgrims are divided into 497 flight groups and would use 11 airports in Indonesia for their departures.
Some 134 flight groups would depart to Saudi Arabia from Soekarno-Hatta international airport by Garuda and Saudi Arabian airways.
The first flight group of Indonesian would-be Hajj pilgrims will leave for Saudi Arabia on Wednesday (Nov. 5).
Having the largest Muslim population in the world, Indonesia sends a large number of Hajj pilgrims to Mecca and Madina, Islam’s two sacred cities, every year.
The Hajj pilgrimage is the fifth pillar of Islam, an obligation that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by every able-bodied Muslim who can afford to do so.
Pilgrims join processions of hundreds of thousands of people, who simultaneously converge on Mecca for the week of the Hajj, and perform a series of rituals. Last year, Saudi Arabia received at least 1.2 Hajj pilgrims.