By Mustapha Adamu
The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria, NAHCON, has assigned Max Air to airlift the 5,917 intending pilgrims of Kano state to Saudi Arabia during this year’s Hajj exercise.
Recall that the decision of NAHCON to assign Azman Air to airlift the pilgrims of the state last year was greeted by criticism by the Kano State Pilgrims Welfare Board and the state government.
In a press conference on Tuesday, the Executive Secretary of the board, Muhammad Abba Dambatta, disclosed that the Hajj commission had assigned Max Air for this year’s Hajj operations.
He added that the airline is efficient and had aircraft with a capacity to airlift more than 1,000 pilgrims each day.
In the same vein, Dambatta also announced that the board had closed fresh Hajj registration per NAHCON’s directive.
According to him, the states’ pilgrims had exhausted all the almost 6,000 slots allocated to it by the Hajj commission, adding that 4,900 intending pilgrims had paid their Hajj fare in full, while others, who deposited N2.5 million, would pay the remaining balance in next couple of days.
The Executive Secretary also disclosed that the board is fully ready for this year’s Hajj, saying “We have completed all preparations, ranging from accommodations, feeding, and transportation from Jeddah to Makkah and Makkah to Madina.
“We are ready for airlift. We have made a good arrangement that justifies the fee paid by our intending pilgrims. Our intending pilgrims will enjoys a good services in Saudi Arabia,” Dambatta assured.
