Garuda Indonesia Expands Umrah Flights, Offers New Makassar-Medina Direct Flight

JAKARTADAILY.ID - Flag carrier Garuda Indonesia expanded its umrah flight networks by opening a direct flight from Makassar, the capital city of Indonesia's South Sulawesi province to Medina in Saudi Arabia.

Garuda said in a statement on May 4 that the direct flight Makassar - Medina route to serve umrah pilgrims is part of the airline's commitment to improving connectivity in the country.

Medina, otherwise known as Al-Madinah in Arabic, or formally Al-Madīnah al-Munawwarah (The Luminous City), is the second holiest city in Islam, after Mecca.

Garuda said in the statement it began serving Umrah flights for pilgrims from South Sulawesi and its surroundings last Tuesday, May 3, 2022.

Now, the pilgrims can go to Sultan Hasanuddin International Airport for umrah.

During the inaugural Umrah flight from Makassar, Garuda transported at least 259 prospective umrah pilgrims via direct Makassar-Medina flight, without making a transit.

According to Garuda Indonesia's statement, this Umrah flight from Makassar will be served three times during May 2022 using the Airbus A330-900 Neo fleet, which offers a capacity of 22 business-class passengers and 277 economy-class passengers.

Irfan Setiaputra, President Director of Garuda Indonesia said that the direct flight for umrah from Makassar to Medina will provide pilgrims with more diverse options to depart to the second holy city for Muslims, without making a transit in Jakarta, Indonesia's capital.

"In the future, we will continue to maximize the opportunities for developing a direct flight network for umrah services from various other departure areas," said Irfan.