BREAKING: NAHCON, State Pilgrims’ Boards Set May 9 for 2025 Inaugural Hajj Flight

The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has announced that the inaugural flight for the 2025 Hajj will take place on May 9, 2025. The decision was reached during a strategic meeting held today, April 22, 2025, between NAHCON and Executive Secretaries of State Muslim Pilgrims’ Welfare Boards under the Forum of States.

The meeting was convened to assess the readiness of state boards for the upcoming Hajj operations. In his address, NAHCON Chairman, Professor Abdullah Saleh Usman, reminded stakeholders that preparations were in their final phase. He called on state boards to provide updates on visa processing, pilgrim vaccination, procurement of travel bags, and other logistics.

During the meeting, Commissioner of Operations, Prince Anofiu Elegushi, announced the distribution of pilgrims among the designated airlines:

Air Peace will transport 5,128 pilgrims from Abia, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Armed Forces, Bayelsa, Benue, Borno, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Ekiti, Enugu, Imo, Kogi, Ondo, Rivers, and Taraba states.

FlyNas has been allocated 12,506 pilgrims from the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Kebbi, Lagos, Ogun, Osun, Sokoto, and Zamfara. The airline will deploy nine aircraft for its operations.

Max Air is responsible for 15,203 pilgrims from Bauchi, Gombe, Jigawa, Kano, Katsina, Kwara, Oyo, and Plateau states. Two aircraft will be used: a Boeing 747 with a 400-passenger capacity and another with 560 seats. The airline has committed to completing its operations by May 24.

Umza Air will handle 10,163 pilgrims from Kaduna, Adamawa, Nasarawa, Niger, and Yobe, using a Boeing 747 (477 seats) and a Boeing 777 (310 seats).

Altogether, a total of 43,000 pilgrims are expected to participate in the 2025 Hajj airlift.

Also addressing the meeting, NAHCON’s Commissioner for Planning, Research, Statistics, Information and Library Services (PRSILS), Professor Abubakar Yagawal, provided an update on the Commission’s readiness. He confirmed that clinics have been secured in Makkah and Madinah, Yellow Cards have been distributed to states, and he reiterated the ban on pregnant women participating in the Hajj.

The meeting concluded with the resolution that outbound flights will begin on May 9 and end by May 24, while the return (inbound) flights are tentatively scheduled to commence on June 13 and conclude by July 2.

Fatima Sanda Usara
Assistant Director, Information & Publications
For Chairman/CEO, NAHCON
April 22, 2025