National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has allayed fears of the Nigerian pilgrims in Saudi Arabia over the suspension of Max Air domestic operations by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), saying the suspension does not and won’t affect the airline airlift of pilgrims from the holy land.
The commission in a press statement by its deputy director of information and publication, Alhaji Mousa Ubandanwaki yesterday, said the clarification became necessary to assuage and calm the pilgrims and their relatives back at home that the suspension order is limited to domestic air services which does not affect their charter and international operations.
Ubandawaki said the clamp down was on the Airline’s Boeing 737 aircraft, which he said, has been the crux of the NCAA audit query for some time.
According to him, the aircraft being used for airlift of Nigerian Pilgrims from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia after the 2023 Hajj exercise is not the same as the one on their domestic route.
“Therefore, the Commission wishes to assure all Nigerians and the pilgrims in particular, that the ongoing airlift of Nigerian pilgrims will continue undisturbed and that the Airline will continue to utilize the slots allocated to it by the Saudi General Authority in Civil Aviation (GACA) unhindered.
“We want to thank all Nigerians and pilgrims for their patience and perseverance and to assure of the Commission’s commitment to airlift all Nigerian pilgrims to Nigeria in record time,” Ubandawaki stated.
Max Air is one of the approved five airlines by the federal government to transport Nigerian pilgrims to and fro Saudi Arabia for 2023 Hajj.
Meanwhile, 15 days after the conclusion of the 2023 Hajj exercise, only about 18, 000 Nigerian Pilgrims out of over 95, 000 that performed the spiritual exercise have been transported back home.
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