The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) is pleased to announce remarkable progress in the ongoing airlift of Nigerian pilgrims for the 2025 Hajj. Within three days of commencement, the Commission has successfully airlifted 19% of the total intending pilgrims. This marks a notable improvement from the 9% airlifted within the same period in 2024.
Air Peace has concluded the airlift of Kogi State pilgrims, transporting 559 out of the 564 scheduled. Similarly, Max Air has completed the airlift of Oyo State pilgrims with a total of 1,083 pilgrims successfully conveyed to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Imo and Abia States have also completed their operations, with the exception of a few “no-show” pilgrims during the inaugural flight. These will be accommodated in the mop-up flights later in the exercise.
For Nasarawa State with 944 pilgrims , UMZA Air is concluding its operations currently with their final flight scheduled Monday 12th May 2025.
Remaining flight schedules include UMZA Air which is scheduled to begin the airlift of Kaduna State pilgrims on 14th May and will operate back-to-back flights. Also FlyNas will commence the airlift of Sokoto pilgrims by 13th May and, barring any changes, will begin operations for Abuja pilgrims on 16th May. Air Peace is slated to begin the transportation of Borno pilgrims on 18th May.
NAHCON Chairman Professor Abdullahi Saleh Usman commends the performance of the airlines, the State Pilgrims’ Boards and other stakeholders for their cooperation that facilitated the smooth and timely movement of pilgrims.