By Ayo Kehinde
The Federal Government has approved four airlines, including Air Peace Limited, Fly-Nas, Max Air, and UMZA Aviation Services Limited, as official air carriers for Nigerian pilgrims for the 2025 Hajj exercise.
Chairman of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria, Prof. Abdullahi Saleh Usman, disclosed this in a statement issued by the commission’s Assistant Director, Information and Publication, Fatima Usara.
The statement informed that the carriers were selected out of the 11 companies that submitted applications for the airlift of Nigerian Muslim pilgrims.
According to the commission, the air carriers were screened and shortlisted by a team of 32 members that the NAHCON Chairman inaugurated on November 26, 2024.
Also, three excess cargo carriers have been selected for this year’s Hajj operations; Aglow Aviation Support Services Limited, Cargozeal Technology Limited, and Qualla Investment Limited.
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), Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET), and Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB).
Usara disclosed that one member each was drawn from the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) and the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC).
Others were NAHCON Board members representing each country’s geopolitical zone, NAHCON Heads of Aviation, Procurement, Legal, Internal Audit, and Special Duties, and a Board Member representing the aviation industry.
“The Chairman congratulated the successful companies while urging them to fulfil their responsibilities as promised during the screening”, the statement added.
