Nigerian airlines approved for the airlift of 2023 hajj pilgrims to Saudi Arabia have refused to sign the airlift agreement with the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON).
The event was scheduled for Thursday at the NAHCON headquarters in Abuja.
The Saudi Arabian authorities has allocated 95,000 slots for Nigeria for 2023 hajj.
The approved hajj airlines are Flynas, Max Air, Azman Air, Air Peace, and Aero Contractors. They would airlift the 75,000 state pilgrims and their officials. Azman Air was allocated 8,660 pilgrims, and Aero Contractors with 7,833.
While Arik Air and Value Jet will participate in the airlift of 20,000 pilgrims allocated to private tour operators.
The hajj commission has allocated 28,515 pilgrims to Saudi-based airline Flynas, while Max Air was allocated 16, 326 pilgrims, and Air Peace 11,348.
However, while officials of Flynas signed the agreement with NAHCON on Thursday, the officials of Max Air and Air Peace have refused to sign the agreement, saying they have to “consult further.”
The signing of the agreement was abruptly halted because of the logjam.
Speaking on the matter, the NAHCON commissioner of operations, Malam Abdullahi Magaji Hardawa, said the local approved airlines have failed to sign the agreement because of the ongoing war in Sudan. The Arab country has closed its airspace, thereby extending the hajj flight time from four to more than six hours.
Mr Hardawa said the airlines refused to sign the agreement because of the flight time extension occasioned by the Sudan conflict.
He said President Muhammadu Buhari had approved a waiver of 65 percent of all aviation related charges on the Nigerian airlines approved to transport pilgrims to Saudi Arabia. He said this was done to cushion the effects of eventualities for the airlines.
Mr Hardawa said, “Nobody canvassed for that but as an organisation, we made the suggestion to the president and he graciously approved it.
“Now the challenges of crisis in Sudan is confronting us and it is threating the success of hajj operations.
“The airlines are business entities and they are partners in this dispensation.
“We want them to happily participate in the hajj operation and profitably.”
Also speaking on the incident, the chairman of NAHCON Zikirullah Kunle Hassan, who signed the agreement with Flynas on behalf of the commission, said the commission and the local airlines have agreed to reconvene on Tuesday to discuss further.
Mr Hassan said, “The reason why it is delayed is because of the Sudan crisis. We have been told that the Sudan airspace has been shutdown.
“The airlines will have to go through another route which from all indications is longer than passing through Sudan.
“We are hopeful that the Sudan conflict will abate and if it does, it means that we will go back to where we are.
“We have planned our agreement prior to the Sudan crisis and we know that as we speak, there is a ceasefire in Sudan.”
He added that, “We will keep on working with the understanding that the the ceasefire will work and the crisis will come to an end so pilgrims from all over the world will able to transit through Sudan to Saudi Arabia.”
Mr Zikirullah, however, said the commission is not contemplating increasing the hajj fare because of the Sudanese conflict.
The commission has earlier pegged the 2023 hajj fare at N3 million.
