Garuda Indonesia Faces Criticism Over Hajj 2024 Services

TIMESINDONESIA, JAKARTA – The Ministry of Transportation of the Republic of Indonesia (Kemenhub RI) has issued a stern reprimand to Garuda Indonesia following numerous complaints and feedback regarding the airline's service during the Hajj 2024 pilgrimage.

Minister of Transportation Budi Karya Sumadi stated that Kemenhub RI has received significant complaints from the public and stakeholders about Garuda Indonesia’s flights. "We have listened to the complaints from the public and other stakeholders about Garuda’s flights. Therefore, we have taken action by issuing a warning and demanding immediate improvements," he said.

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Official Reprimand and Call for Improvements

The warning, issued by the Director General of Civil Aviation under letter number AU.402/2/21/DJPU.DKPPU-2024, addresses various technical issues that disrupted the departure schedules of Hajj pilgrims from several embarkation points. One notable incident occurred on May 17, 2024, when several Garuda aircraft were unable to operate, causing significant delays for pilgrims.

Minister Budi Karya Sumadi emphasized the need for Garuda Indonesia to prioritize the national Hajj transport program and to develop a mitigation plan to quickly address and recover from the flight delays. "Firstly, we request that PT. Garuda Indonesia prioritizes the national program for Hajj transport in 2024. Secondly, Garuda should immediately prepare a mitigation plan and report the accelerated recovery measures for the delayed Hajj flights to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation," the Minister stated.

Incident Highlights Technical Issues

A critical incident that drew significant attention was the Return To Base (RTB) of Garuda Indonesia flight GA 1105, a Boeing 747-400 registered as ER-BOS. This flight, carrying Hajj pilgrims from Embarkation Makassar group 5 (UPG-05) from Sultan Hasanuddin International Airport to Madinah, encountered technical difficulties on May 15, 2024. This incident added to the list of technical problems affecting Hajj flight operations.

Minister Budi Karya also stressed the importance of operational readiness and aircraft maintenance throughout the Hajj flight operations. "We ask Garuda Indonesia to ensure the operational and maintenance readiness of their aircraft during the 2024 Hajj flights. Additionally, enhanced coordination between PT. Garuda Indonesia and the owners of leased aircraft is necessary," he explained.

Ensuring Future Flight Safety

Furthermore, Kemenhub RI has requested that Garuda Indonesia intensifies its oversight of the aircraft used for Hajj flights to prevent similar issues from occurring in future departures. This increased vigilance is crucial to maintaining the safety and reliability of Hajj transportation for Indonesian pilgrims.

The Ministry's firm stance underscores the critical nature of Hajj 2024 transport and the need for Garuda Indonesia to uphold high standards of service and safety for all pilgrims. (*)

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