By Olugbenga Salami
Determined to ensure quick return of Nigerian pilgrims, who performed this year’s Hajj, National Hajj Commission of Nigeria, NAHCON and the General Authority on Civil Aviation, GACA of Saudi Arabia, have agreed that all the Nigerian licensed carriers would begin to operate their in-bound flight to the country optimally, beginning from Wednesday, July 12, 2023.
This, according to a statement issued on Tuesday by the NAHCON’s Deputy Director of Information and Publications, Alhaji Mousa Ubandawaki, was the outcome of the high level meeting between the two organisations on the organisations on slow pace of the airlift operation.
The commission explained that with the development, Max Airline with three aircrafts on its fleet will be able to operate all the aircrafts to Nigeria everyday, the same with Aero Contractors, Air Peace, Azman and Arik Air which is dedicated to the airlift of private tour operators.
“The new development is expected to ease the strain on the agitation of Nigerian pilgrims who have been anxious to return to Nigeria since the conclusion of the Hajj rites on the 30th June.
“It will also increase the pace of the airlift operations which have been bogged down by non-availability of slots to the Nigerian licensed carriers, especially by the Saudi Civil Aviation Authority.
“The commission have been disturbed about the situation which solution she had been battling with since the commencement of the second phase of the airlift operation.
“The GACA have refused to allot slots to the Nigerian airlines to speed up the return of pilgrims back home,” the statement stressed.
NAHCON regretted that despite several representations and meetings, the intervention of the Nigerian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Dauda Yahaya Lawal achieved little success until the issue was escalated to the highest level of government before it was finally resolved.
It, however, disclosed that only 26 flights have so far been recorded on the in-bound airlift operations with the highest shuttle operated by the Saudi- owned Flynas which operated more than two-thirds of the flights.
