•Hajj
Ahead of the commencement of pilgrims’ airlift for 2026 pilgrimage, a Saudi designated air carrier, Flynas, has announced deployment of six aircraft to convey intending pilgrims to Saudi Arabia.
Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of First Planet Travels Limited and General Sales Agent (GSA) for Flynas in Nigeria, Alhaji Umar Kaila, made the disclosure in an interview with journalists in Abuja.
A statement signed by Mr Mahmood Muhammad Abande of the Flynas Media Office Abuja today quoted the airline’s chief as saying that the company has lined up six wide-body Airbus A330 for the Hajj operation.
Four of the aircraft, Mr Kaila said, have 430 sitting capacity each, and the remaining two planes with 345 each, reports The Guardian.
The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has allocated 12, 550 intending pilgrims to Flynas for this year’s pilgrimage.
The airline will airlift pilgrims from Kebbi, Lagos, Osun, Kaduna, Niger, Ogun and some numbers from Nasarawa state, according to Mr Kaila. He said the airline has already organised refresher courses for its over 100 local Nigerian staff members ahead of the operation.
The Flynas chief said the airline will operate from the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos, Lagos State; Sultan Abubakar International Airport, Sokoto, Sokoto State; and Sir Ahmadu Bello International Airport, Birnin Kebbi, Kebbi State,
It will also ferry pilgrims from Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Airport, Minna, Niger State; Kaduna International Airport, Kaduna State; and Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
Flynas has been in Nigeria since 2014 as part of the Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) between Nigeria and Saudi Arabia.
Mr Kaila said, “Flynas has proved in the last 12 years that Nigerian pilgrims are kings based on the excellent and world-class services it has been rendering to them during Hajj operations.”
“Like we have been doing in the past, we have completed arrangements to offer excellent services to our distinguished pilgrims during the 2026 Hajj operation. We would deploy world-class facilities and well-trained manpower to serve the Guests of Allah,” the Flynas chief said.
He assured NAHCON, the state pilgrims boards, and other relevant federal agencies of mutual cooperation and understanding for a seamless Hajj airlift this year. The airline boasts of a fleet of more than 61 aircraft, operating over 1,500 weekly flights across 139 routes to more than 70 domestic and international destinations in 30 countries.
