The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria, (NAHCON), has announced the successful transportation of 10,675 Nigerian pilgrims to Saudi Arabia for the Hajj 2024 pilgrimage.
In a statement by NAHCON’s Assistant Director for Public Affairs, Fatima Sanda Usara, it was disclosed that FlyNas airlifted 4,665 pilgrims, followed by Max Air, with 4,479, and Air Peace, with 1,531.
Usara further mentioned that there have been no flight cancellations except for a delay that affected the inaugural flight from Kwara, shifting from May 20th, 2024, to the early hours of May 21.
She highlighted that Nasarawa State concluded the airlift of its pilgrims, totalling 1,794, making it the first State to complete the process for the 2024 Hajj season.
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?Oyo State and the Armed Forces are expected to conclude the conveyance of their pilgrims soon.
As in-bound flights into Saudi Arabia continue into the second week, States such as Kaduna, Yobe, Kano, Adamawa, Borno, and Sokoto are set to commence the airlifting of their pilgrims. Additionally, Plateau State pilgrims were scheduled to depart yesterday.
Usara advised pilgrims to remain calm, noting that NAHCON follows a First-in-First-Out (FIFO) policy for return flights from Saudi Arabia to Nigeria.
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?She also mentioned the resolution of initial challenges in issuing Basic Travel Allowance, (BTA), with each pilgrim now entitled to $500 cash as BTA in place of a credit card, as approved by NAHCON.
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