2019 Hajj: NAHCON beats deadline, airlifts 44,450 pilgrims to Saudi Arabia

The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has completed the airlift of 44,450 Nigerian pilgrims, including officials from states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The number, however, doesn’t include the pilgrims that follow private tour operators who have also arrived the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The Saudi government had allocated 95,000 slots to Nigeria, out of which states got 65,000, while private tour operators received 30,000.

NAHCON’s Command and Control Centre said the last batch who flew in Flynas XY5821 departed Abuja for Jeddah at 08:53 hours yesterday with 301 pilgrims and 19 officials.

The 93rd flight had pilgrims from the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Sokoto, Zamfara, Kaduna, Anambra, Abia, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, and Enugu States.

The flight marked the end of the phase one airlift operation for 2019 Hajj.

The 32 states that finally produced the pilgrims were FCT, Plateau, Jigawa, Borno, Lagos, Bauchi, Taraba, Yobe, Oyo, Osun, Ogun, Gombe, Katsina, Kano, Kaduna, Nasarawa, Kebbi, Kwara, Kogi, Sokoto, Adamawa, Niger, Edo, Ekiti, Ondo, Zamfara, Anambra, Abia, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, and Enugu.

As of yesterday, a total of 1,775,067 pilgrims have arrived in the Kingdom through Saudi air, land and sea ports, according to statistics issued by the Saudi General Directorate of Passports.

The number of pilgrims arriving, till yesterday, by air stood at 1,664,974 pilgrims, by land 92,844 pilgrims, and by sea 17,223 pilgrims.

Out of the total number, the pilgrims who arrived in Madinah had so far reached 885,706, according to daily statistics issued by Hajj and Visit Committee in Madinah Region yesterday.

The data showed that 775,138 pilgrims left Madinah for Makkah, while the total number of pilgrims remaining in Madinah until yesterday was 110,517.