A total of 7,582 Nigerian pilgrims have been transported to Medina, Saudi Arabia, in the first phase of the 2024 Hajj exercise.
They were airlifted in five days after the inaugural flight for this year’s hajj at Sir Ahmadu Bello International Airport (SABIA) in Birnin Kebbi, Kebbi State, which Vice President Kashim Shettima flagged off.
The exercise entered its 5th day yesterday. The departure of Air Peace flight APK7908 with 311 pilgrims of FCT and four officials and Flynas flight XY8010 with 431 Kebbi Pilgrims to Madinah yesterday respectively bring the total number of Nigerian pilgrims now in Saudi Arabia to 7, 582. The pilgrims were transported to the holy land in 18 flights.
The breakdown of 2024 Hajj airlift operations released by NAHCON Command and Control Centre showed MAX AIR has so far airlifted a total of 2,966 pilgrims of Nasarawa, Bauchi and Oyo states from Abuja and Lagos airports in 6 flight operations to Madinah.
Flynas airlifted 3,395 pilgrims of Kebbi, Lagos and Ogun States from Kebbi and Lagos airport in a 7th flight operation, while Air peace airlifted 910 Pilgrims of FCT from Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport to the holy land.
Meanwhile, the first set of Nigerian pilgrims to Madinah will be departing to Makkah as from today after spending four days in the second holiest city and concluding the first phase of their hajj exercise.
