Date: 2017-09-13

The inaugural return flight of Kwara pilgrims who performed this year's pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia begins today.

Two airlines, Max and Medview will be on duty to airlift the pilgrims from the King Abdulaziz International Airport , Jeddah direct to Ilorin International Airport .

The Executive Secretary , Kwara State Moslem Pilgrims Welfare Board, Alhaji Tunde Jimoh who confirmed the development in an interview with our Staff correspondent Tunde Akanbi in Makkah assured all the pilgrims that they would all be airlifted at the scheduled time and appealed to them to be patient.

Alhaji Jimoh disclosed that for the inaugural flight , Max Airline will be airlifting 555 pilgrims while Medview would airlift 450.

In a related interview , the Director in charge of Design, Development and Commercials of Medview Airline, Alhaji Ishaq Na'Allah said the airline would do everything possible to airlift all the pilgrims inline with their contractual agreement .

Our Staff correspondent, however, reports that most pilgrims are eager to return back to their various destinations as they have exhausted the Basic Traveling Allowances (BTA) they were paid and desperate to join their families after the completion of their hajj rites. The various airlines and the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) have resolved that the policy of first to arrive for the pilgrimage would be the first to be airlifted back to their destinations except those with serious health challenges.