As the airlift operation of Nigerian pilgrims to this year’s Hajj in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia entered day four on Monday, Oyo, Imo, Abia and Kogi states have completed airlift of their pilgrims to the Holy Land.
The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) disclosed on Monday that it had made remarkable progress in the ongoing airlift as it airlifted 19 percent of the total pilgrims just in three days of the airlift operation, which started Friday last week.
Oyo State contingent, with a total of 1,083 pilgrims, was airlifted from the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Ikeja, to Madinah, Saudi Arabia, by Max Air in two operations.
On the other hand, Air Peace concluded airlift of Kogi State pilgrims, transporting 559 out of the 564 scheduled from the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, to the Prince Mohammed bin AbdulAziz International Airport in Madinah.
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With the exception of few who did not show up during the inaugural flight Friday last week at the Sam Mbakwe International Cargo Airport in Owerri, both Imo and Abia pilgrims were airlifted in one flight by Air Peace to Madinah.
NAHCON Assistant Director, Information and Publication, Fatima Sanda Usara, informed that the 19 percent airlift achieved within the first three days of commencement of this year’s airlift was a notable achievement over last year’s nine percent achieved within the same period.
According to her, “The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) is pleased to announce remarkable progress in the ongoing airlift of Nigerian pilgrims for the 2025 Hajj.
Within three days of commencement, the Commission has successfully airlifted 19% of the total intending pilgrims. This marks notable improvement from the 9% airlifted within the same period in 2024.
Air Peace has concluded the airlift of Kogi State pilgrims, transporting 559 out of the 564 scheduled. Similarly, Max Air has completed the airlift of Oyo State pilgrims with a total of 1,083 pilgrims successfully conveyed to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Imo and Abia States have also completed their operations, with the exception of a few ‘no-show’ pilgrims during the inaugural flight. These will be accommodated in the mop-up flights later in the exercise.
For Nasarawa State with 944 pilgrims, UMZA Air is concluding its operations currently with the final flight already on the ground, preparing for takeoff.
Going forward, UMZA Air is scheduled to begin the airlift of Kaduna State pilgrims on 14th May and will operate back-to-back flights.
FlyNas will commence the airlift of Sokoto pilgrims by 13th May and, barring any changes, will begin operations for Abuja pilgrims on 16th May. Air Peace is slated to begin the transportation of Borno pilgrims on 18th May,” Usara stated.
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