The Federal Government has approved four airlines as official air carriers for pilgrims of the 2025 Hajj.
The Executive Chairman, the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), Prof. Abdullahi Usman, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday.
According to him, the four airlines were selected out of the 11 companies that submitted applications to transport Nigerian pilgrims to Saudi Arabia for Muslim pilgrimage.
Usman added that the four approved airlines are Air Peace Ltd., Fly-Nas, a Saudi Arabia-designated airline, Max Air, and UMZA Aviation Services Ltd.
He stated that the airlines were screened and shortlisted by a team of 32 members that were inaugurated by the NAHCON on Nov. 26, 2024.
Usman explained that the composition of the Aviation Screening Committee included representatives from State Pilgrims’ Welfare Boards, three members from the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and one member each from the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).
He also said that some members of the committee were drawn from the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET), and Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB).
Similarly, Prof. Usman said that one member each was drawn from the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) and Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC).