Inside a Hajj Flight - Garuda Indonesia “Special” B747-400

Join me on a Boeing 747 Hajj Flight from Indonesia to Saudi Arabia. Definitely an experience to remember for my whole life! The journey started at Soekarno-Hatta Int’l Airport in Jakarta. 450 pilgrims checked in outside the airport and came directly to the airside waiting to board the Boeing 747. Many of them were first-time flyers. To speed things up, there was no boarding pass, pilgrims were given a seat number with red on the left and blue on the right side of the plane. Once the engine had started, many pilgrims began chanting prayers for a safe flight. Captain Vitaly from Russia and First Officer Anton from Ukraine flew the Boeing 747 flight. Flight time to Jeddah was just over 9 hours. Garuda Indonesia wet-leased the B747-400 from Aquiline International to fulfill the mission. Passengers were extremely humble and quiet during the flight. Many of them never used an airplane toilet before and need crew assistance. The Hajj flight crew were contractors who only worked for 2 months