Article summary
- Max Air, Air Peace, Azman Air, and Aero Contractors opt out of flying Nigerian pilgrims to Saudi Arabia due to the closure of Sudanese airspace.
- FG adds an agreement planned prior to the Sudan crisis, urging a ceasefire in Sudan.
- NAHCON says seven airlines were approved by President Buhari for this year’s hajj.
Four Nigerian airlines, including, Max Air, Air Peace, Azman Air, and Aero Contractors, stated their refusal to sign an agreement with the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) to transport the 2023 Hajj intending pilgrims is due to the conflict in Sudan.
This means only the Saudi Arabian designated airline Flynas will fly to Saudi Arabia, as they signed the agreement.
The airlines say Sudan’s air space has been shut down due to conflict, according to Zikrullah Hassan, Chairman, of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON).
Reasons
The NAHCON Chief stated, citing that only the Saudi Arabian designated airline Flynas, will transport 28,515 intending pilgrims to Saudi Arabia, that they will transport about 40 percent of the Nigerian pilgrims.
The report noted that the four Nigerian airlines were allocated pilgrims to fly to the Holy Land: Max Air with 16,326 allocations, Air Peace with 11,348, Azman Air with 8,660, and Aero Contractors with 7,833.
NAHCON has adjourned till Tuesday, May 9, to deliberate further with the Nigerian airlines that declined to sign the agreement, he added:
- “Their representatives did inform me that they will be coming to discuss with us, with their chairmen or Chief Executives Officers where we intend to have more in-depth discussions before we come to an agreement.
- “The reason why it is delayed is because of the Sudan crisis. We have been told that Sudan’s airspace has been shut down.
Ceasefire
Mr. Hassan revealed that the airlines will have to go through another route which from all indications, is longer than passing through Sudan, he added:
- “We are hopeful that the Sudan conflict will abate, and if it does, it means that we will go back to where we are.
- “We have planned our agreement prior to the Sudan crisis, and we know that as we speak, there is a ceasefire in Sudan.”
- “We will keep on working with the understanding that the ceasefire will work and the crisis will come to an end, so pilgrims from all over the world will be able to transit through Sudan to Saudi Arabia.
NAHCON’s Commissioner of Operations, Alhaji Abdullahi Magaji-Hardawa, said that President Muhammadu Buhari had approved a waiver of 65 percent of all aviation-related charges on the Nigerian airlines approved to transport pilgrims to Saudi Arabia, citing that they made the suggestion to the president and he graciously approved it.
- “Now the challenges of the crisis in Sudan are confronting us and it is threatening the success of hajj operations.
- “The airlines are business entities and they are partners in this dispensation.
- “We want them to happily participate in the hajj operation and profitably.
- “We have seven airlines approved by Buhari for this year’s hajj. Two airlines are dedicated to the pilgrims under the tour operators.”
