Pekanbaru,, July 14 -- Riau Governor Abdul Wahid on Monday officially inaugurated the first direct Pekanbaru-Jeddah flight at Sultan Syarif Kasim II International Airport, with the inaugural Lion Air flight carrying 210 Umrah pilgrims.

" Alhamdulillah (praise be to God), today marks the first time Umrah pilgrims are flying directly from Pekanbaru to Jeddah without any transits," Wahid said at Sultan Syarif Kasim II International Airport in Pekanbaru.

The governor explained that the new route was established in response to concerns over previous Umrah travel arrangements, which required multiple transits and made the journey long and exhausting.

"Hopefully, this marks the beginning of better services for religious pilgrims," he added. ...