RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta – Indonesia and Saudi Arabia have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening and expanding cooperation in the transportation sector, covering aviation, maritime affairs, railways, transportation safety investigations, and human resource (HR) development. The commitment was conveyed by Indonesia's Minister of Transportation, Dudy Purwagandhi, during a meeting with Saudi Minister of Transport and Logistic Services Saleh bin Nasser Al-Jasser at the Ministry of Transportation in Jakarta on Monday, July 13, 2026.

"Transportation cooperation between the Governments of Indonesia and Saudi Arabia has existed for many years. Through the Ministry of Transportation, the Indonesian Government remains committed to further strengthening this cooperation and expanding its scope," Dudy said in an official statement received in Jakarta on Tuesday, July 14, 2026.

Dudy welcomed the Saudi Government's initiative to develop several memorandums of understanding (MoUs) covering transportation safety investigations, maritime affairs, railways, and technical cooperation in civil aviation. The Ministry of Transportation will assign a technical team to discuss and finalize the proposed MoUs in a timely manner.

In the aviation sector, Dudy noted that cooperation between the two countries has been in place since the signing of the Air Transport Agreement in 1988 and has continued to grow to enhance air connectivity between Indonesia and Saudi Arabia.

He said that discussions on air services held by the two ministries in June 2025 resulted in several mutually beneficial agreements, including the expansion of operational destinations to Yogyakarta and Banda Aceh. The move is considered important as demand for air travel between the two countries, particularly for Hajj and Umrah pilgrimages, continues to increase.

Dudy also expressed appreciation for the commitment of Saudi airlines serving the Indonesian market. At the same time, one of Indonesia's private airlines has increased its scheduled flights to Jeddah and Madinah since December 2025.

He emphasized that both countries should ensure fair business opportunities for airlines from each side while improving service quality and maintaining compliance with their respective national regulations.

During the meeting, Dudy also sought Saudi Arabia's support for Indonesia's candidacy for membership on the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) at the Extraordinary Assembly to be held in Montreal, Canada, in November 2026.

In addition, the minister expressed appreciation for Saudi Arabia's support for relocating Hajj and Umrah flights to Terminal 2F of Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, saying the move would improve convenience for Indonesian pilgrims.

The two ministers also discussed opportunities for cooperation in transportation human resource development through capacity-building programs, internships, the placement of graduates from Indonesia's transportation academies in Saudi transportation companies, as well as exchanges of lecturers, experts, and joint training programs between transportation education institutions.

The meeting was also attended by Minister of Hajj and Umrah Mochamad, Irfan Yusuf and several senior officials from Indonesia's Ministry of Transportation.