PETALING JAYA: Indonesia is urging its umrah pilgrims to fly directly to Saudi Arabia on local airlines, instead of taking connecting flights that transit in Singapore and Malaysia, to help boost the republic’s economy.
Deputy haj minister Dahnil Anzar Simanjuntak says that around 70,000 Indonesian pilgrims would stop over in Malaysia and Singapore when flying on foreign airlines, the Jakarta Globe reported.
Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority country, sees two million pilgrims going on umrah annually.
“If we can get the 70,000 people transiting via Malaysia and Singapore to use Indonesian airlines, that will help our national economy,” Dahnil was quoted as saying.
He acknowledged, however, that his suggestion would require national airline Garuda Indonesia and the privately owned Lion Group to improve their services.
Additionally, these airlines must provide competitive prices to improve their standing among Indonesian pilgrims.
Dahnil's statement came on the heels of a decision by Indonesia to reduce natural gas exports to Singapore as president Prabowo Subianto sought to shore up domestic supply and strengthen energy security for South-East Asia's largest economy.