The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has announced that 27,316 out of 41,668 Nigerian pilgrims who participated in the 2025 Hajj exercise have so far been airlifted back to the country.
This was disclosed in a statement issued on Thursday in Abuja by Hajiya Fatima Usara, the Assistant Director of Information and Publication at NAHCON.
According to Usara, the final inbound transportation of Nigerian pilgrims has been rescheduled to end on Tuesday, July 2, due to unforeseen disruptions affecting flight operations.
“NAHCON wishes to inform the public, particularly 2025 Hajj pilgrims, their families and stakeholders, that the return leg Hajj airlift operations have improved significantly with carriers securing an increase in slot allocations,” the statement read.
She stated that since June 22, Nigerian carriers had been allotted up to seven daily flights distributed in the ratio of 2-2-2-1, which has boosted the pace of return operations.
However, Usara explained that post-Hajj airspace congestion and multiple flight cancellations had slowed down the overall process, making it unlikely that all pilgrims would be back by the initially projected date of June 28.
“Out of the total 41,668 Nigerian pilgrims airlifted to Saudi Arabia for this year’s Hajj, over 27,316 have already been transported back to Nigeria,” she noted.
The number excludes those who opted to return via regular commercial flights due to urgent personal demands at home.
Providing a breakdown of the remaining returnees, Usara revealed that Max Air is left with 6,019 pilgrims. The airline has two wide-bodied aircraft, each with 560 seats, totaling a daily capacity of 1,120.
UMZA Aviation Services is responsible for 4,850 passengers, operating two aircraft with a combined seat capacity of 796. FlyNas has 2,480 pilgrims to return, with a daily carriage capacity of 819 passengers. Air Peace is managing the return of 1,635 pilgrims using an aircraft with 315 seats.
Despite the challenges, NAHCON reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring the safe and timely return of all pilgrims to Nigeria.
