A Saudi-designated hajj air carrier, Flynas, will begin the airlift of Nigerian pilgrims back home on Tuesday.
This was revealed by Alhaji Umar Kaila, the Managing Director of First Planet Travels – the General Sales Agent (GSA) of Flynas in Nigeria – in an interview with journalists in Abuja on Monday.
He said the hajj air carrier will begin with the airlift of Sokoto pilgrims on Tuesday from the King Abdulaziz International Airport Jeddah.
He said the airline has deployed four aircraft out of the six it positioned for the operation during the first phase of the return airlift.
Flynas has been in Nigeria since 2014 as part of the Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) between Nigeria and Saudi Arabia.
During the outbound airlift, the airline had transported 29,296 Nigerian pilgrims from Lagos, Osun, Ogun, Niger, Borno, Yobe, Kebbi, Sokoto, and Zamfara states to the holy land.
The airline also conducted rescue operations for other hajj-approved airlines that suffered operational hitches, and even tour operators.
Mr Kaila said, “like we successfully did during our outbound flights to Saudi Arabia, we have concluded all arrangements to make the inbound journey comfortable for all our esteemed passengers.”
He also assured timely and safe transport of pilgrims’ luggage and Zamzam water like the airline has been doing in the past.
Flynas, with over 80 local ad-hoc staff, had operated pilgrims flights from Murtala Mohammed International Airport Lagos, Sultan Abubakar International Airport Sokoto, and Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja during the outbound journey.
A total of 95,000 Nigerian pilgrims were part of the nearly two million others that performed the 2023 hajj- the first full-blown pilgrimage – after the coronavirus pandemic.
Stakeholders in the hajj industry have commended Flynas for its positive contribution towards a seamless airlift of pilgrims to the holy land in the last nine years.
They said the airline has added value to the local hajj economy by paying taxes to the federal d government, generating jobs for Nigerians, among others.
The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has allocated 29,296 pilgrims to Flynas, 16, 326 to Max Air, 11,348 to Air Peace, 8,660 to Azman Air, and 7,833 to Aero Contractors.
