Ogun airport not rejected by airline, NAHCON chairman clarifies

The Punch Newspaper reports on the clarification issued by the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) regarding the Gateway International Airport in Ogun State. There have been swirling rumors that the airport was rejected by Saudi airline Flynas for Hajj operations, causing concern among the public and intending pilgrims. NAHCON Chairman Ismail Yusuf has decisively debunked these claims, labeling them as false and misleading.

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At no point did Flynas declare the airport unsuitable or unsafe for operations, contrary to insinuations circulating in some sections of the media.

According to Yusuf, the temporary shift of pilgrims from the Ogun airport to the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos was purely an administrative adjustment. This decision was driven by the complex logistics of Hajj operations, including flight scheduling, aircraft rotation, and the need to coordinate pilgrim movements across various states within specific Saudi Arabian aviation windows. These are standard adjustments in large-scale pilgrimages, not indicators of any fault with the Gateway Airport.

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Hajj operations involve highly sensitive scheduling arrangements tied to Saudi Arabia’s aviation windows, aircraft rotation plans and pilgrim movement coordination across different states.

The NAHCON chairman stressed that Flynas never declared the airport unsuitable or unsafe. He urged stakeholders and the public to ignore speculative stories designed to sow panic or undermine the airport project. The Gateway International Airport, he affirmed, is a fully functional facility capable of international operations. This clarification is crucial for maintaining confidence in the airport's capabilities and ensuring the smooth execution of the Hajj airlift exercise, prioritizing the safety and timely transportation of Nigerian pilgrims to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

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Such operational adjustments are not unusual during large-scale international pilgrimages.