6,149 Kebbi, Ogun, Nasarawa, Niger Pilgrims Airlifted To Madinah

Flynas has airlifted over 6,000 pilgrims from Kebbi, Ogun, Nasarawa, and Niger states to Madinah, Saudi Arabia, within one week for the 2026 Hajj.

The Saudi-designated Nigerian Hajj air carrier flew all the pilgrims directly to Madinah, Islam’s second-holiest city, ahead of the annual pilgrimage.

This was revealed in a statement signed by Mahmood Muhammad Abande of the Flynas Media Office, Abuja, on Monday.

Flynas operated the second flight from Nigeria on May 4, 2026, by airlifting 418 Kebbi State pilgrims from the Sir Ahmadu Bello International Airport, Birnin Kebbi, to Madinah.

The statement said Flynas had so far transported 6,149 (50.25 per cent) intending pilgrims in 14 flights from Birnin Kebbi, Abuja, Lagos, and Minna, Niger State, to the holy land as at Monday.

The breakdown shows that so far, a total of 2,988 Kebbi State pilgrims were airlifted; 2,379 from Ogun State, 424 from Nasarawa State, 345 from Niger State, and 13 NAHCON officials.

The managing director/CEO of First Planet Travels Limited and General Sales Agent (GSA) for Flynas in Nigeria, Alhaji Umar Kaila, was quoted in the statement as saying that the airline had deployed six aircraft for operations in Nigeria in 2026.

He said the airline has lined up six wide-body Airbus A330 aircraft for the Hajj operation, explaining that four have a seating capacity of 430 each, while the remaining two have a seating capacity of 345 each.

The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has allocated 12, 210 intending pilgrims to Flynas for this year’s pilgrimage.

The airline will airlift pilgrims from Kebbi, Lagos, Osun, Kaduna, Niger, Ogun and Nasarawa states, according to Mr Kaila.

He said the airline has already organised refresher courses for its over 100 local Nigerian staff members ahead of the operation.

Kaila assured intending pilgrims of seamless outbound operation, saying the airline has put everything in place to ensure the comfort, safety and convenience of the Nigerian pilgrims.

Flynas has been in Nigeria since 2014 as part of the Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) between Nigeria and Saudi Arabia.

The airline boasts a fleet of more than 80 aircraft, operating over 1,500 weekly flights across 139 routes to more than 70 domestic and international destinations in 30 countries.