Mecca, Saudi Arabia (ANTARA) - Indonesian Hajj pilgrims began to return home, as Deputy Minister of Religious Affairs Zainut Tauhid Sa'adi dispatched the first batch of pilgrims leaving their lodging at Al Keswah Tower, Jarwal, Mecca for the King Abdulaziz International Airport, Jeddah, Thursday evening. They comprising 360 pilgrims from the Solo Hajj Embarkation (SOC) 1.
On the occasion, Sa'adi, representing Religious Affairs Minister Yaqut Cholil Qoumas who tendered his apologies to Indonesian Hajj pilgrims if the services provided by his side during the 2022 Hajj pilgrimage period failed to match up to their expectations.
"The religious affairs minister has asked us (to) apologize (on his behalf) if during your stay in the Holy Land (to conduct the pilgrimage), our services are less than the expected ones," Sa'adi remarked here.
A total of eight buses were deployed to bring the pilgrims to the airport.
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Furthermore, the deputy minister also apologized if there were any necessities of the pilgrims that his side could not meet, although his side had prepared for the annual ritual as best as possible.
"However, as humans, we are not flawless," he stated.
Furthermore, he also said that Qoumas had urged his staff to immediately prepare for the 2023 Hajj pilgrimage.
"Thus, our preparations will be better, and God willing, (we will be able) to provide the best service to future hajj pilgrims," Sa'adi stated.
He also noted that the religious affairs minister will dispatch the returning pilgrims at the airport.
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On the same day, the second batch of pilgrims will also be dispatched from Mecca to Jeddah. Some 393 pilgrims of the Padang Hajj Embarkation (PDG) 1 would leave for the airport on Thursday night at 11:10 p.m. SAST.
Hence, a total of 753 Hajj pilgrims would be the first ones to return to Indonesia after completing the 2022 Hajj pilgrimage.
They were scheduled to fly home aboard Indonesian flag carrier Garuda Indonesia’s airplane on Friday at 5:10 a.m. Saudi Arabia Standard Time (SAST, UTC+3).
Earlier, the luggage of the pilgrims had been weighed and scanned two days prior to departure.
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