Three Airlines Approved for 2024 Hajj Operations

The Federal Government of Nigeria under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has officially granted approval to three distinguished airlines to serve as exclusive carriers for the 2024 Hajj pilgrimage, they are Air Peace Ltd., FlyNas and Max Air. Also approved are three other air cargo companies that will airfreight pilgrims’ excess luggage. They are Cargo Zeal Technologies Ltd, Nahco Aviance and Qualla Investment Limited.

The approval reinforces Government’s commitment to ensuring a seamless and secure pilgrimage experience for Nigerian intending pilgrims. Consequently, the Federal government concurrently approved allocation of pilgrims from various states to each of the approved airlines as follows:

Meanwhile Private Tour Operators are left in the cold as no airline is approved for the airlifting of Pilgrims under their purview. This unlike what happened last year.

The breakdowns for the three airlines are as follows. i.​Air Peace is to transport intending pilgrims from: Abia, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Ekiti, Enugu, FCT, Imo, Kwara, Ondo and Rivers.
ii.​FlyNas will airlift Muslim pilgrims from: Borno, Lagos, Osun, Ogun,Niger, Sokoto, Kebbi, Yobe and Zamfara.
iii. ​Max Air with the highest allocation will be responsible for moving pilgrims from: Bauchi, Benue, Kano, Katsina, Kogi, Nasarawa, Adamawa, Oyo, Taraba, Kaduna, Armed Forces, Gombe, Jigawa and Plateau

The allocation of pilgrims to the airlines was in line with the subsisting Bilateral Air Service Agreement (BASA) between Nigeria and Saudi Arabia on airlift of pilgrims under government quota. However, state governments may choose to designate any of the approved freight companies to convey their pilgrims’ excess luggage. Should any state enter such exclusive arrangement, the decision should be communicated to the Commission accordingly.

Malam Arabi, the Acting Chairman congratulates the three airlines on their selection and call on them to gear up to facilitating smooth pilgrimage in 2024 season. NAHCON remains dedicated to upholding the highest standards in pilgrimage organization, with a focus on the safety and satisfaction of pilgrims.

Abdulfattah Abdussalam
Reports

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