A Journey Once Defined by the Sea
For our parents and grandparents, the Hajj pilgrimage was inseparable from the image of ships slowly making their way across the oceans. Pilgrims would depart from major ports such as Tanjung Priok, Surabaya, or Belawan, leaving behind tearful families who would not hear from them for months. The voyage to Jeddah often lasted several weeks, sometimes even months, depending on the weather and sea conditions.
These journeys were not merely long; they were fraught with challenges. Rough seas, outbreaks of illness, poor sanitation, and limited food supplies often turned what was meant to be a sacred spiritual mission into a severe physical trial. Stories abound of pilgrims falling ill, growing weaker with each passing week, and sometimes never making it to the Holy Land.
That reality began to change in the early 1970s, when Indonesia made a decisive shift from sea to air travel. Suddenly, the same journey that once consumed months could be completed in less than a day. For the first time, Hajj was no longer a perilous odyssey across oceans, but a manageable trip across the skies. This transformation remains one of the most consequential policy shifts in the history of Indonesia’s Hajj management.
Indonesia, Geography, and Pilgrim Realities
Indonesia is the world’s largest archipelago, with over 17,000 islands scattered across vast seas. Moving people from remote islands to central hubs is already a logistical challenge. Sending hundreds of thousands of pilgrims every year to Saudi Arabia compounds that complexity.
The geographical distance alone illustrates the point: Jakarta to Jeddah is nearly 8,000 kilometres. By sea, even under optimal conditions, this translates into a voyage of at least three weeks one way. In reality, it was often longer, with ships waiting at ports or detouring for supplies.
Now imagine this burden placed on pilgrims whose average age exceeds 50. Long days at sea, crowded quarters, limited medical care, and exposure to infectious diseases would severely compromise their health and dignity. In contrast, a direct flight from Jakarta to Jeddah or Madinah takes only 9–10 hours. This compression of time is not simply a matter of convenience—it is a matter of necessity. Air travel is not an alternative; it is the only viable option for Indonesian pilgrims today.
Health Dimensions: Addressing Demographic Realities
Data from the Ministry of Religious Affairs reveal that most Indonesian pilgrims are elderly. This is a direct consequence of long waiting lists: in some provinces, the wait for Hajj can exceed 20 years. By the time their turn arrives, pilgrims are often in their sixties or seventies.
For such an aging demographic, sea voyages are not merely uncomfortable but medically dangerous. Extended immobility increases the risk of deep vein thrombosis. Crowded, poorly ventilated ships elevate exposure to infectious diseases. Lack of immediate access to modern healthcare creates vulnerabilities to hypertension, heart conditions, or respiratory problems.
Airplanes, on the other hand, provide a controlled environment. Onboard medical kits, trained cabin crew, and, in many cases, accompanying doctors or paramedics make it possible to respond to emergencies. Furthermore, the short duration minimizes stress on frail bodies. Air travel, therefore, is not just safer; it is fundamentally aligned with the health needs of today’s pilgrim demographic.
Here, the role of the state is crucial. By guaranteeing safe and humane transport, the Indonesian government fulfils its constitutional obligation to safeguard citizens’ welfare, especially when they undertake a sacred religious duty.
Operational Efficiency and the Masyair System
Hajj is not an individual journey but one of the largest annual logistical operations in the world. Each year, over 2.5 million Muslims from around the globe converge on Saudi Arabia within a narrow time frame. To manage this massive influx, the Saudi government implements the Masyair system—a highly regulated framework governing arrivals, movements, and departures of pilgrims.
For Indonesia, which sends the largest contingent of pilgrims annually, compliance with this system is critical. Air travel allows Indonesia to dispatch pilgrims in carefully planned waves, aligned with Saudi Arabia’s reception capacity. Flight schedules can be synchronized with airport slots in Jeddah or Madinah, ensuring orderly arrivals and departures.
By contrast, ships would introduce chaos. Voyages are subject to unpredictable delays caused by weather or port congestion. Even if a ship arrives on time, disembarking thousands of passengers simultaneously would overwhelm facilities designed for staggered flows. Thus, in the context of Masyair, air transport is not just efficient—it is indispensable.
Cost Considerations: Between Perception and Reality
A common counterargument is that sea travel is cheaper than air travel. On the surface, this appears logical: a ship ticket often costs less than an airplane seat. Yet such reasoning is deceptive.
Maritime travel requires weeks of food supplies, additional medical staff, sanitation facilities, and contingency arrangements for illness or delay. Extended journeys translate into higher insurance costs, logistical expenses, and operational risks. Moreover, the unpredictability of sea routes exposes pilgrims to disruptions that may force costly reorganization of schedules.
Air travel, while initially more expensive per ticket, proves far more economical when total costs are considered. It provides predictability, reduces the need for prolonged support services, and minimizes health risks that could otherwise burden families and the state. In public policy terms, true efficiency must account not just for direct costs but also for social, health, and opportunity costs. By this measure, air travel emerges as the more rational choice.
Historical Turning Point: From Sea to Sky
The shift from ships to planes in the early 1970s was not merely a transportation decision; it was a paradigm shift. At the time, the government recognized that the old model was unsustainable. Pilgrim numbers were rising rapidly, queues were lengthening, and expectations for better service were mounting.
By adopting air transport as the standard, Indonesia achieved three things simultaneously:
- Reduced risk — fewer fatalities and medical emergencies during transit.
- Expanded capacity — more pilgrims could be sent each year.
- Enhanced satisfaction — the journey became safer, faster, and more dignified.
What began as a national decision soon became an international norm. Today, nearly all countries rely on air travel for Hajj. Indonesia’s early move positioned it as a pioneer in modern Hajj logistics.
Embarkation Infrastructure: Bringing Services Closer to Pilgrims
Another advantage of air travel is the ability to decentralize departure points. Indonesia now operates 13 embarkation airports, from Aceh in the west to Makassar in the east. This means pilgrims no longer need to travel great distances overland or by sea to reach a central port.
Each embarkation point is not merely an airport terminal. It is an integrated hub with immigration services, medical screening, dormitories, and orientation facilities. For many pilgrims, these centres represent the state’s commitment to reducing hardship and ensuring equitable access across the archipelago.
Such infrastructure would be impossible under a maritime model. Ports are few, facilities are limited, and embarkation would remain concentrated in major coastal cities, disadvantaging pilgrims from remote regions. Air transport, therefore, democratizes access to Hajj services.
Air Transport as Diplomacy
The Hajj is not just a religious matter; it is also a matter of diplomacy. Indonesia, as the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation and the largest single contributor of pilgrims, must negotiate annually with Saudi Arabia. These negotiations cover flight slots, air rights, airport capacity, and special arrangements for Hajj operations.
Here, aviation is not merely logistics but a tool of foreign policy. The presence of Garuda Indonesia alongside Saudia Airlines reflects bilateral cooperation. Negotiations over routes, frequencies, and service standards strengthen broader diplomatic ties. Beyond bilateralism, Indonesia’s large Hajj aviation program enhances its stature in international aviation forums, giving Jakarta a stronger voice in global air transport governance.
The Question of Maritime Revival: A Romantic but Unrealistic Notion
Some voices occasionally advocate for reviving sea travel for Hajj, often citing nostalgia or lower costs. Yet such proposals collapse under scrutiny. Maritime voyages cannot meet the health, safety, or scheduling requirements of modern Hajj management. The infrastructure to support them no longer exists, and the global system of Hajj logistics has moved decisively to air.
While the idea of sailing to Jeddah may evoke romantic memories of a bygone era, it is no longer compatible with the demographic, operational, and diplomatic realities of today. The nation’s responsibility is not to indulge nostalgia but to provide pilgrims with the safest, fastest, and most dignified means possible.
Looking Forward: Strengthening the Air Hajj System
If air transport is indeed the only viable option, the task ahead is to strengthen it further. Four strategic directions are especially important:
- Enhancing airline partnerships
Indonesia must secure adequate seat capacity by balancing national pride in Garuda Indonesia with practical partnerships involving Saudia and potentially other carriers. Ensuring redundancy prevents last-minute shortages. - Upgrading health and elderly-friendly services
With the aging profile of pilgrims, airlines should adapt cabins with features that support mobility, comfort, and medical readiness. Pre-flight medical checks and in-flight assistance must be continuously improved. - Expanding embarkation capacity
More embarkation points and upgraded facilities will reduce travel burdens on pilgrims from distant regions, making the system more inclusive. - Optimizing aviation diplomacy
Indonesia must continue leveraging its status as the largest Hajj-sending nation to secure favourable slots and routes, ensuring smooth operations each season.
Conclusion: Air Travel as Strategic and Sacred Duty
From geography and health to efficiency, history, and diplomacy, every dimension underscores the same conclusion: air travel is not just the best but the only feasible mode of transport for Indonesian Hajj pilgrims. Ships may hold a place in our cultural memory, but in practice, they no longer serve the needs of modern pilgrims.
The real challenge for Indonesia is not to debate modes of transport but to perfect the air travel system we already have. Doing so is more than a matter of logistics; it is a matter of dignity. Ensuring that pilgrims reach the Holy Land safely, comfortably, and efficiently is both a moral obligation and a constitutional duty of the state.
In the end, airplanes are more than machines carrying passengers across continents. For millions of Indonesians, they are vessels of faith—bridges between their homeland and the sacred cities of Mecca and Madinah. By strengthening the air-based Hajj system, Indonesia ensures that this bridge remains strong, reliable, and worthy of the devotion it carries each year.
