Religion

Hajj 2023: 5,518 Nigerian pilgrims airlifted to Saudi Arabia

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2 years ago

A total of 5,518 Nigerian pilgrims have as of Sunday airlifted from various departure points in the country to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for this year’s Hajj so far.

According to information gathered from the Control Centre of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), the pilgrims that have already departed Nigeria are made up of 3,439 male and 2,079 female from a total of 13 flights as of 5:20pm on Sunday.

Seven states have so far been involved in the airlift operations with Nasarawa State having the largest continent of 1,385 pilgrims, followed by Sokoto State with a total of 1,274 pilgrims.

While 239 Benue State pilgrims have been airlifted, Kwara State has 534 pilgrims already in the Holy Land, 847 pilgrims from Plateau State and 429 from Osun State were airlifted. Zamfara State has 810 pilgrims already airlifted.

According to NAHCON, of all 5,518 Nigerian pilgrims already in Saudi Arabia, 549 landed in Jeddah, while the remaining 4,969 moved directly to Madinah. Those that landed in Jeddah have since been moved to Madinah.

The Hajj body informed that of the five airlines approved for this year’s operation, only Azman Air was yet to airlift any pilgrims from the country.

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Max Air has airlifted 1,558 pilgrims, while Saudi Arabian airline, Flynas; Aero Contractor and Air Peace have airlifted 2,513, 913 and 534 respectively.

Tribune Online reports that the inaugural flight conveying 470 Nasarawa State pilgrims departed the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, on Thursday, May 25, for Madinah, signalling the commencement of this year’s Hajj operations.