Thousands of Nigerian pilgrims in Saudi Arabia can now breathe a sigh of relief as all the Nigerian licenced carriers from today, July 12, began their in-bound flight to Nigeria optimally.
This was the outcome of the high level meeting between the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) and the Saudi authorities, General Authority on civil Aviation (GACA) on the slow pace of the airlift operation.
According to NAHCON, in a statement issued by the deputy director of information and publication, Alhaji Mousa Ubandanwaki, and made available to newsmen in Makkah, yesterday, with this development, Max Airline that has three aircrafts on its fleet will be able to operate all the aircraft to Nigeria everyday, the same with Aero Contractors, Air Peace, Azman and Arik Air which is dedicated to the airlift of private tour operators.
The new development is expected to ease the agitation of Nigerian pilgrims who have been anxious to return to Nigeria since the conclusion of the Hajj rites on June 30.
It will also increase the pace of the airlift operation which have been bogged down by non-availability of slots to the Nigerian licenced carriers especially by the Saudi Civil Aviation Authority.
“The commission has been disturbed about the situation which she had been battling with since the commencement of the second phase of the airlift operation.
“The GACA have refused to allot slots to the Nigerian airlines to speed up the return of pilgrims back home.
“Several representations and meetings were held. The intervention of the Nigerian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Ambassador Dauda Yahaya Lawal achieved little success until the issue was escalated to the highest level of government before the situation was finally resolved,” the statement reads in part.
So far, only 29 flights have been recorded on the in-bound airlift operation with the highest shuttle operated by the Saudi- owned Flynas which operated more than 2/3 of the flights. And out of 95 000 Nigerian pilgrims that performed the 2023 Hajj exercise in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, only 11, 416 have been transported back home.
