DistantNews
Support us
🇳🇬 Nigeria /Culture & Society

Ogun, Kebbi Hajj pilgrims return home Thursday, airline says

From The Punch · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources New plan
  • Flynas, a Saudi-designated Nigerian Hajj carrier, will transport Ogun and Kebbi state pilgrims back to Nigeria starting Thursday.
  • The return flights will utilize six A330 wide-body Boeing aircraft, with initial flights carrying the first contingents from Jeddah to Abeokuta and Birnin Kebbi.
  • The airline previously transported 11,342 pilgrims to Saudi Arabia in 30 flights and has delivered 13,832 bottles of Zamzam water ahead of the pilgrims' return.

Flynas, a Saudi-designated carrier for Nigerian Hajj pilgrims, is set to begin transporting pilgrims from Ogun and Kebbi states back to Nigeria on Thursday. The airline announced that six A330 wide-body Boeing aircraft have been deployed for the inbound flights.

The first return flight will transport the first contingent of Ogun state pilgrims from the King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to the newly established Gateway International Airport in Abeokuta, Ogun State.

— Mahmood Muhammad AbandeFlynas Media Office statement regarding the return flights for Ogun State pilgrims.

The first return flight will carry pilgrims from Ogun State from the King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah to the newly established Gateway International Airport in Abeokuta, Ogun State. On the same day, the first batch of Kebbi State pilgrims will be flown from Jeddah to Sir Ahmadu Bello International Airport in Birnin Kebbi, Kebbi State.

The second return flight will airlift the first batch of Kebbi state pilgrims from the Jeddah airport to Sir Ahmadu Bello International Airport in Birnin Kebbi, Kebbi State, the same day.

— Mahmood Muhammad AbandeFlynas Media Office statement regarding the return flights for Kebbi State pilgrims.

Flynas plans to conduct two additional flights from Jeddah to Abeokuta and Birnin Kebbi on June 5. According to Alhaji Umar Kaila, the Managing Director/CEO of First Planet Travels Ltd. and General Sales Agent for Flynas in Nigeria, the airline has finalized arrangements for a seamless operation adhering to international best practices.

The airline had concluded arrangements to conduct a seamless operation in line with international best practices.

— Alhaji Umar KailaManaging Director/CEO of First Planet Travels Ltd. (GSA for Flynas in Nigeria) on the Hajj return operations.

During the outbound journey, Flynas successfully transported 11,342 pilgrims and officials to Saudi Arabia across 30 flights within two weeks. The airline has also delivered 13,832 five-liter bottles of Zamzam water to Nigeria in anticipation of the pilgrims' return. Flynas will be airlifting pilgrims from Kebbi, Lagos, Osun, Kaduna, Niger, Ogun, and Nasarawa states.

During the outbound operation, Flynas had transported 11,342 pilgrims and officials to the holy land in 30 flights in record time of two weeks.

— Alhaji Umar KailaManaging Director/CEO of First Planet Travels Ltd. commenting on Flynas's performance during the Hajj outbound flights.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by The Punch. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

More Stories

From Our Blog