Hajj: Airlift of Nigerian pilgrims begins today

The return airlift of Nigerian pilgrims who participated in the 2026 Hajj will begin on Wednesday, starting with pilgrims from Nasarawa State. This will be followed by pilgrims from Ogun and Kebbi States on June 4, according to a Saudi-designated Nigerian Hajj carrier, Flynas. In a statement, the airline said the inbound operations would be conducted using six A330 wide-body aircraft deployed for the exercise to ensure efficient transportation of pilgrims back to Nigeria. The airline added that the first return flight will convey the initial batch of Ogun State pilgrims from the King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to the Gateway International Airport in Abeokuta. The second return flight, according to the statement, will airlift the first batch of Kebbi State pilgrims from the Jeddah airport to Sir Ahmadu Bello International Airport in Birnin Kebbi, Kebbi State, the same day. The following day, June 5, the airline said it would conduct two additional flights from Jeddah airport to Abeokuta and Birnin Kebbi, respectively. The statement quoted the Managing Director/CEO of First Planet Travels Limited and General Sales Agent (GSA) for Flynas in Nigeria, Alhaji Umar Kaila, as saying that the airline had concluded arrangements to conduct a seamless operation in line with international best practices. He said during the outbound operation, Flynas had transported 11,342 pilgrims and officials to the holy land in 30 flights in a record time of two weeks. Mr Kaila said the airline had already delivered 13,832 units of five-litre Zamzam water bottles to Nigeria ahead of the pilgrims’ return. The airline will airlift pilgrims from Kebbi, Lagos, Osun, Kaduna, Niger, Ogun and Nasarawa states, according to Mr Kaila. The statement said the Flynas Coordinator of Operations, Malam Ahmad Ruma, urged the airline’s ground staff in Makkah to uphold professionalism and ethics.