Returning pilgrims receive assistance as they disembark from their aircraft upon arrival on Saturday at the Sultan Iskandar Muda International Airport in Blang Bintang, Aceh, after performing the annual haj pilgrimage. - Photo: AFP
JAKARTA: Two groups of Indonesian haj pilgrims have arrived home safely after being stranded for a day when their flights from Saudi Arabia were delayed following an escalation of armed conflict between Israel and Iran in the region.
The flights supposed to carry two groups of pilgrims from the Surabaya embarkation point in East Java were initially canceled following the temporary closure of the Muscat International Airport in Oman after an Iranian missile attack against the Al Udeid air force base in Doha, Qatar on Monday (June 23) night.
