The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has appealed to Nigerian pilgrims in Saudi Arabia yet to be airlifted back home to be patient.
The commission said it is doing everything alongside other stakeholders to increase the speed of the return leg.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, NAHCON’s spokesperson, Fatima Usara, cited high demand for air slots from other countries as the reason for the slow airlift of Nigerian pilgrims.
She also said that the commission planned to return all pilgrims by 28 June,
“Please note that the fewer trips being experienced presently in the return airlift is due to the normal peak season air traffic in Saudi Arabia.
“During this period, all countries are trying to return their pilgrims at the same time, and this creates a heavy demand for airport slots.
“These slots are managed by the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) in Saudi Arabia, and currently, Nigeria has not been allocated as many slots as needed to move its large number of pilgrims quickly.
“NAHCON appreciates the patience of the pilgrims and their officials and assures all concerned that the Commission and the State Boards are working round the clock to ensure a quicker return trip for everyone,” the statement said.
According to the latest airlift updates by NAHCON’s command and control centre, 7,844 pilgrims were airlifted back home in 18 trips as of Tuesday, 17 June.
NAHCON had airlifted about 43,000 pilgrims to Saudi Arabia for the exercise.
Read full statement
Return Airlift Journey to Pickup Soon
The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria wishes to reassure Nigerian pilgrims currently in Saudi Arabia awaiting their return journey to Nigeria that the Commission, along with State Pilgrims’ Welfare Boards, and the 2025 official air carriers are doing everything within their capacity to increase the speed of the return leg.
The Commission has planned to return all pilgrims by 28th June 2025 and remains determined to do so.
Please note that the fewer trips being experienced presently in the return airlift is due to the normal peak season air traffic in Saudi Arabia.
During this period, all countries are trying to return their pilgrims at the same time, and this creates a heavy demand for airport slots.
These slots are managed by the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) in Saudi Arabia, and currently, Nigeria has not been allocated as many slots as needed to move its large number of pilgrims quickly.
In view of this, the three major stakeholders in the airlift operation have mapped out strategies to increase the number of slots to the country. It is hoped that active discussions with the Saudi authorities will facilitate an increase in the flight slots.
FlyNas is the only airline presently running two flights per day. NAHCON’s plan is to seek more convenient slots for UMZA Aviation, Air Peace and Max Air. With large bodied aircraft, the pace of the return journey will increase significantly, and more flights will be scheduled daily.
NAHCON appreciates patience of the pilgrims and their officials and assure all concerned that the Commission and the State Boards are working round the clock to ensure a quicker return trip for everyone.