Hajj 2022: Carriers deploy additional aircraft to cover lost grounds

Determined to beat the deadline to Saudi Arabia, the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), has announced the deployment of additional aircraft to ferry intending pilgrims for the 2022 hajj exercise.

NAHCON considered the additional flight operations amidst outcry of the slow pace of pilgrims’ airlift to Saudi Arabia.

So far, less than 10,000 pilgrims have departed Nigeria on 19 flight operations, out of a little above 43,000 total intending pilgrims scheduled to participate in the annual ritual, a movement many found slow considering previous experiences.

In a statement, NAHCON spokesperson, Fatima Usara, confirmed that the Saudi-based FlyNas has deployed additional two aircraft with a 433-seat capacity while Azman Air unveiled an inaugural flight with a 400-seat capacity aircraft.

Usara disclosed that Max Air, the third official contracted airline for hajj operation, will also deploy another 560-passenger’s capacity aircraft for the Hajj dispatch.

The NAHCON spokesperson, who acknowledged the slow pace of pilgrims’ airlift, attributed the challenge to routine operational challenges and partly due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which warranted a new policy direction.

She said: “Nigeria has had its own share of challenges, but thankfully, the matter has been resolved. With the hurried way this year’s Hajj was organised globally, Nigeria’s Hajj industry experienced delay in meeting one of the aviation processes in the host country.

“However, the matter has been put to rest and in a matter of hours, the momentum in the Hajj airlift will pick up. So far, the country’s air carriers have deployed aircrafts to speed up ferrying of pilgrims for the 2022 Hajj season.

“At the time of writing this piece, news reports indicate that certain countries were still struggling with registration of pilgrims. Pakistan, with the second largest Hajj contingent in the world after Indonesia, was in a fix to resolve an imbroglio over pilgrims that have fully paid, but due to a glitch in some banks’ data, many of them are yet disenfranchised.

“It is in tune with this development that the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria is entreating State Pilgrims’ Welfare Boards to quicken the screening and conveyance of their pilgrims to the airports for onward trip to Saudi Arabia to cover lost grounds.

“Similarly, pilgrims are advised to answer the call of their boards to proceed for take-off to the holy land whenever they are summoned to do so. The Commission has promised to ensure that all registered pilgrims for this year’s Hajj are successfully moved to Saudi Arabia before closure of Jeddah airport.”