“We received reports of 17 flights impacted because of operational delays,” Taufan Yudhistira, spokesperson of airport management firm Angkasa Pura I, said.

Rizieq ended his self-imposed exile of more than three years in Saudi Arabia and was greeted by thousands of supporters who flocked to Soekarno-Hatta International Airport yesterday morning. 

Related ⁠— FPI leader Rizieq Shihab touches down in Indonesia as supporters crowd Soekarno-Hatta Airport

The supporters inadvertently blocked road access to the airport as they parked their cars on the toll road leading to Soekarno-Hatta, which caused numerous flight delays. A number of airlines subsequently announced that passengers with tickets for yesterday’s departures are eligible to reschedule or refund their flights for free.

Related ⁠— Airlines waive rescheduling fees as Rizieq Shihab’s supporters block access to Soekarno-Hatta Airport

Hundreds of passengers flying to and from Bali were also affected by the event in Jakarta, with nine flights were of the Jakarta-Denpasar route and the eight of the Denpasar-Jakarta route delayed yesterday. Yudhistira said that each flight was delayed by around one to two hours. 

“There were around 820 passengers impacted,” Yudhistira added.

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