The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has advised that four appointed airlines, Nigeria's Air Peace, MaxAir (Nigeria), and UmzaXpress, and Saudi budget carrier flynas, will begin transporting more than 71,000 Nigerian pilgrims to Saudi Arabia from May 5 for the annual Hajj.
In an announcement on social media, NAHCON said Max Air and flynas would transport the highest numbers, 23,343 and 22,893, respectively, followed by UmzaXpress with 15,893 and Air Peace with 9,145.
The announcement followed the official signing on March 11 of the 2025 Hajj airlift charter contract between NAHCON and flynas, one of Saudi Arabia's official service providers for the pilgrimage.
Max Air suspended its domestic operations for three months at the end of January to allow the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to conduct a safety audit, but its international operations continue.
Meanwhile, Turkish ACMI/charter specialist Air Anka (6K, Izmir Adnan Menderes) has been airlifting Christian pilgrims from Lagos and Abuja to Amman Queen Alia in Jordan since December 22, 2024, according to ch-aviation research. ADS-B data confirms that the charters, organised by the Nigerian Christian Pilgrims Commission, are operated with A330-200 TC-NYB (msn 597).
