One week into the homeward airlift of Nigerian pilgrims from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, a total of 10, 291 pilgrims have already departed the holy land for the country.
The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) commenced the return airlift operations on Tuesday, July 4 with 426 pilgrims from Sokoto State with one official. The inaugural flight, a Fly Nas flight, departed Jeddah at 1:55 pm, Saudi time (11:55 am, Nigerian time).
As of 4:08 pm, Nigerian time (6:08 pm, Saudi time) on Monday, a Max Air flight with 437 Plateau State pilgrims with 106 officials left the King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah for Bauchi.
Earlier on Monday, at 3:09 am Nigerian time (5:09 am Saudi time), a Fly Nas flight carrying 384 passengers, comprising 382 Sokoto pilgrims, one each from Borno State and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) with one official departed Jeddah for Sokoto.
At 11:30 am, Saudi time (9:30 am, Nigerian time), the first batch of Lagos State pilgrims left Jeddah through a Fly Nas flight with 380 pilgrims and seven officials.
So far, the 10,291 pilgrims were conveyed back home in a total of 26 flights from Jeddah.
Meanwhile, NAHCON has expressed satisfaction with the homeward airlift operation so far, while assuring that the remaining pilgrims will be airlifted back home smoothly as scheduled.
Reports from Makkah quoted the Head of NAHCON’s reception team at the airport in Jeddah, Alhaji Muhammad Bakari Gire, as saying that there was no delays or hitches in checking in departing Nigerian pilgrims at the airport.
According to Gire, NAHCON’s policy was that pilgrims would not leave Makkah for Jeddah, through which they depart for Nigeria, until their flights were confirmed, saying this had contributed largely to the no hitches experienced so far.
The head of the reception team also said he was satisfied with the conduct of Nigerian pilgrims so far, adding that they had so far complied with directives on their eight-kilogram hand luggage.
He, however, expressed the hope that the remaining pilgrims would also conduct themselves well and comply with directives on the hand luggage.
According to NAHCON’s schedule for the return airlift operation, the last batch of Nigerian contingent to this year’s Hajj in Saudi Arabia was expected to leave for home on August 3.
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