2019 Hajj: NAHCON signs airlift agreement with three airlines

The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has said that three airlines have been approved by the Presidency for the 2019 Hajj operations.

NAHCON’s Head of Public Affairs, Fatima Sanda Usara, in a statement on Monday said the three airlines are: Max Air Ltd, Medview Airlines Plc, and FlyNas of Saudi Arabia.

According to her, during an Airlift Signing Agreement held on Monday at the at the NAHCON’s Head Office in Abuja, the Chairman of the commission, Abdullahi Mukhtar Muhammad, enjoined the approved air carriers to discharge their responsibilities diligently to pilgrims who are sole sponsors of the contract for the airlift.

“Therefore, they owe a moral responsibility between them, the pilgrims, The Almighty to whom the pilgrims are special guests and the commission for selecting them and vouching for them on behalf of the pilgrims,” she quoted the NAHCON boss as saying.

While declaring that there is no room for failure in the Hajj exercise, Muhammad charged the airline operators to liaise with the necessary security agencies in ensuring safety and security of pilgrims under the best possible comfortable manner.

She said the operators were reminded that intending pilgrims are international travellers; therefore they must be accorded same standard and quality service as any international client.

“The Chairman reiterated that the desire of any pilgrim after the Hajj exercise is early return to the country along with their luggage and Zamzam water; hence they must not compromise on the standard set by the commission on luggage dispatch.

“Similarly, the carriers must scrutinize their staff to guarantee that only honest persons are assigned tasks of dealing with pilgrims so as to avoid being compromised by miscreants. Finally, Barrister Mukhtar tasked them to review past operations and address observed lapses as a team,” she said.

In his acceptance speech, Chief Muneer Bankole, the Chief Executive Officer of Medview Airlines, thanked the commission and declared their total commitment to the dutiful discharge of the task ahead. He prayed to God for a hitch free 2019 Hajj exercise.

Present at the ceremony were Medview Airline CEO, Chief Muneer Bankole, Max Air CEO, Alhaji Bashir B. Mangal and representatives of FlyNas in person of Yasser Ajlan, among others who flew in from Saudi Arabia.

Meanwhile, Max Air has been allocated 51.00 percent slot for pilgrims airlift from Adamawa, Bauchi, Benue, Borno, Gombe, Jigawa, Kano, Katsina, Kwara, Nasarawa, Niger, Plateau, Taraba and Kogi states.

Medview has a 14.00 percent allocation of pilgrims from Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Ekiti, Enugu, Kaduna, Ogun, Ondo, Yobe, Abia, Imo, Anambra, Bayelsa, Rivers and Armed Forces; while Flynas is charged with transportation of 35.00 percent of pilgrims from Sokoto, Oyo, Osun, FCT, Edo, Kebbi, Lagos and Zamfara states.