TEMPO.CO, Makassar - National flag carrier Garuda Indonesia has prepared 14 wide-body aircraft including three Boeing 747-400, five Boeing 777-300 ER, and six Airbus 330-300 to transport Indonesian hajj pilgrims in 2017/1348 Hijri.
"11 planes are ours and the remaining three are rented," Vice President Corporate Secretary PT Garuda Indonesia Hengki Heriandono said on Sunday (30/7).
The number of aircraft operated for 2017 hajj is adjusted to the increasing traffic of pilgrims transport this year. To further support their operation, Garuda Indonesia also increases the number of hajj flight crews from 442 personnel to 558, in which 57 percent of them are Indonesian regional natives.
For this year’s hajj, Garuda Indonesia recruited flight crews based on the regions of the pilgrims’ origins in order to cope with language barrier since some pilgrims only speak their regional language.
ANTARA
