NAHCON screens 7 airlines for 2022 Hajj

THE National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) on Monday commenced screening of airlines that would participate in the airlift of intending pilgrims to this year’s Hajj.

No fewer than seven airlines have indicated interest in the airlift.

They are Azman Air, Med-View Airline, Max Air, FlyNas, Skypower Express, Westlink Airlines and Arik Air.

Out of the seven airlines, six are domestic operators while FlyNas is a Saudi-based airline.

It was gathered that the screening exercise would be a verification of the documents of the interested carriers that turned up in 2020 following a call from NAHCON.

A source said the airlines were already screened in 2020 before the Hajj exercise was canceled due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“They are using the 2020 template but we were only asked to validate our documents,” one of the airlines participating in the verification exercise was quoted as saying.

It was not clear as of the time of this report if NAHCON would apply the same rule which would give over 50 per cent of the traffic to Saudi airlines which stakeholders in the aviation sector have consistently kicked against.

When contacted, the NAHCON spokesperson, Hajiya Fatima Sanda Usara, confirmed that there was an arrangement in place to use the 2020 screening exercise.

She said the screening committee had just been inaugurated to verify the documents of the air carriers.