Date: 2017-08-25

With less than three days to the closure of the Saudi Airspace for the first phase of the 2017 Hajj airlift operations, the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has assured the remaining Nigerian intending pilgrims who paid for the Hajj of their airlift to the Holy Land to perform the religious obligation with other Muslim faithful from across the world.

The assurance was given by the NAHCON commissioner in charge of operations, Alhaji Abdullahi Modibbo Saleh at a press conference in Abuja on the level of success in the operations.

The Saudi Authority will be closing her airspace at midnight on Saturday for this year's pilgrimage .

He said the four airlines approved by the federal government for the year's operations have the capacity to complete the airlift of all the pilgrims before the closure of Hajj airspace by the Saudi Arabian government.

According to him, the airlines have performed to satisfaction as nearly 90 percent of the pilgrims have already arrived the Kingdom, giving hope that the Saudi-bound airlift operations will end with success.

The airlines for the operations are Medview, Max Air, Azman and the Saudi-designated carrier, Flynas. Many of the flights were direct to Madinah with some landing in Jeddah International Airport.

It would be recalled that last year, over 80% of the flights from Nigeria were direct to the Prince Muhammad Abdul-Aziz International Airport, Madinah while only 44 flights landed in the King Abdul-Aziz International Airport, Jeddah.

Although there have been insignificant cases of delay in the Saudi-bound journeys mostly from pilgrims' late arrival to departure centers, the airlift operations have recorded the highest level of success.