National Hajj Commission of Nigeria, NAHCON, has commended one of the official carriers of this year’s holy pilgrimage to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, FlyNas for early conclusion of airlift of pilgrims from Nigeria.
The commission, which gave the commendation in a statement issued on Wednesday by the Assistant Director, Information and Publications, Fatima Sanda Usara, announced that 41,546 pilgrims had arrived Saudi Arabia for the 2025 Hajj exercise which started on May 9.
FlyNas, a Saudi-based airline, was earlier slated to return for conveyance of Kebbi Very Important Persons, VIPs and a few pilgrims on Thursday, May 29, but officially concluded the airlift from the government quota on Tuesday, May 27.
“Leading the Kebbi State contingent were the State Amirul Hajj and Malam Faruqu Aliyu Yaro, the Kebbi State Pilgrims Welfare Board Executive Secretary in the company of 402 Kebbi pilgrims,” NAHCON revealed.
The statement, however, informed that a special flight has been scheduled for Wednesday, May 28 to transport the NAHCON Chairman, Professor Abdullahi Saleh Usman and key officials of the commission, adding that 22 pilgrims who were previously unable to travel due to various reasons are among the passengers.
“These include 13 intending pilgrims from Nasarawa State, three from the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, and six from Kaduna State.
“In addition, UMZA Aviation is scheduled to conduct two private flights for Tour Operators on the 29th and 30th of May. Other VIPs have indicated interest in joining the flights,” it further disclosed.
In another development, NAHCON has reassured intending pilgrims who were affected by the recent visa closure that the commission, along with other affected countries, continues to engage with relevant Saudi authorities to explore avenues for reopening of visa issuance to enable them participate in this year’s holy pilgrimage.
“There is optimism for a positive outcome, and when that is realized, the commission will immediately transport the registered pilgrims for the Hajj in another special arrangement.
“To facilitate this, a few NAHCON staff remain on ground to attend to necessary issues,” the statement further reads.
