Arik Air, one of Nigeria’s leading airlines, is set to conclude the airlift of private pilgrims for the 2023 Hajj season soon, according to information received by the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON).
The news comes as a relief to concerned stakeholders, particularly from the Lagos axis, who had expressed worry about the situation.
Fatima Sanda Usara, the Assistant Director of Public Affairs at NAHCON, confirmed that the Commission was aware of the issue and had been actively working to address it before it escalated further.
NAHCON has been making efforts to secure a fresh deal that would ensure the safe transportation of all pilgrims from the private sector who had paid to be airlifted by Arik Air to Saudi Arabia as planned.
Under the agreement between NAHCON and Arik Air, approximately 7,000 pilgrims registered with private travel agencies were supposed to be transported for the 2023 Hajj.
Arik Air, in turn, had signed a deal with a Saudi-based airline to carry out the airlift, deploying two aircraft stationed in Lagos, Kano, and Abuja.
However, after successfully transporting the initial batch of pilgrims to Saudi Arabia, the Saudi-based airline failed to fulfill its obligations and did not return to complete the airlift.
This left the pilgrims feeling abandoned and caused a significant disruption to the planned operations.
The failure of the airlift was attributed to the non-release of funds that were supposed to be advanced for the engagement.
Financial restrictions prevented the necessary resources from being made available, which ultimately hindered the execution of the agreement, despite assurances from NAHCON.
In response, NAHCON has injected additional resources to salvage the contract and has been exploring alternative options, including engaging more local and foreign airlines, to ensure the completion of the airlift for private tour operators’ pilgrims.
Positive discussions have been held with several airlines, and agreements are on the verge of being signed to facilitate the continued movement of pilgrims.
NAHCON emphasized that the charter arrangement with Arik Air was made on behalf of private Hajj operators to mitigate the impact of the limited number of scheduled airlines serving the Nigeria-Jeddah route.
With an allocation of 20,000 slots, it was clear that an organized charter arrangement was necessary to handle the influx of pilgrims during the peak Hajj period. However, the responsibility of successfully ferrying their pilgrims ultimately lies with the private tour companies.
NAHCON reassured all pilgrims who registered for the 2023 Hajj of its commitment to transport them within the designated time frame of the season.
The Commission acknowledged the concerns and panic among some pilgrims but emphasized that a strategic plan was in place to ensure the movement of all intending pilgrims before the closure of Jeddah airport.
In light of the recent developments, NAHCON advised the intending pilgrims at the Lagos departure center, who had expressed their concerns through agitations, to remain calm and await their airlift to Saudi Arabia in the near future.
