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As Saudi authorities extend landing permits
From Mustapha Adamu, Kano & Abubakar Yunusa Abuja
Azman Air, one of the air carriers approved by National Hajj Commission (NAHCON) to airlift Nigerian pilgrims to Saudi Arabia for Hajj 2020, has allegedly left over 400 Kano pilgrims stranded.
This is as the General Authority for Civil Aviation (GACA) in Saudi Arabia has extended landing permits of Nigerian Hajj carriers from July 4 to 6.
Kano is one of the states to be airlifted by Azman Air for this year’s Hajj exercise.
However, the Kano State Pilgrims Welfare Board had complained over the slow pace of the airline in transporting the intending pilgrims to Saudi Arabia.
This became worse when the aircraft that was supposed to airlift over 400 pilgrims, from 5 Local Government Area of the state, left them stranded for over 24 hours.
The affected intending pilgrims were reportedly beaten by a torrential rain that fell in the early hours of Monday while they were kept under the mercy of mosquitoes and cold at the Kano Hajj camp.
Addressing journalists over the incident yesterday, the Executive Secretary of Kano State Pilgrims Walfare Board, Alhaji mohammad Abba Danbatta, attributed the slow pace of the airlift of the state’s pilgrims to incapability of the Air carrier assigned by NAHCON to air lift the pilgrims.
Dambatta revealed that since before the commencement of the Hajj operation, the board had formally written to NAHCON, seeking for its approval to allow Max Air to airlift Kano pilgrims.
According to him, the board made the request because Max Air had performed airlifted Kano pilgrims for many years without any hindrance.
The ES noted that despite the formal request, NAHCON assigned Azman Air to airlift the over 2,000 Kano pilgrims.
The executive secretary noted that for Azman had airlifted only 975 intending pilgrims in just 4 flights.
Dambatta lamented that Azman Air was the cause of the pilgrims’ travails after the airline directed the board to call over 400 pilgrims from five Local Government areas, only for them to spend hours without being airlifted.
“Azman directed us to call our pilgrims for airlift to Saudi Arabia, we called Over 400 pilgrims for screening at the camp, and the pilgrims were left stranded for over 24 hours after we finished all the travel processes,” he said.
Mohammad Abba Danbatta noted that the board intimated NAHCON on the development in kano, revealing that the Commission had now resolved that AZMAN Air could not carry out the exercise.
He further revealed that the Hajj Commission resolved to hire Flynas, an air carrier company from Saudi Arabia and another aircraft to rescue the affected pilgrims.
“Three aircrafts will arrive Kano, two are from Flynas from Saudi Arabia would arrive Aminu Kano international anytime from now. One will carry only 100 pilgrims while the other two had the capacity of carrying 430 passwngwrs each.
“assure you that all the remaining pilgrims will be airlifted before the closing date.
Speaking while addressing the pilgrims at hajj camp kano the chairman of the board sheikh Abdullahi saleh Pakistan urged the pilgrims to be more patients and pray for the peaceful coexistence of the nation.
Reacting to the incident, the officer in charge of Hajj operation in Azman Air in Kano, Engineer Nuraddeen, said the NAHCON is the body responsible for assigning the licensed airlines to airlift pilgrims.
According to him, the delay was caused after the NAHCON directed Azman Air to concentrate on airlifting Kaduna state intending pilgrims, adding that only one flight to finish with the Kaduna pilgrims.
For Kano intending pilgrims, Engr. Nuraddeen assured that no pilgrim would be left out as the NAHCON had directed that attention should now be turned to Kano.
He revealed that the Hajj Commission would bring more aircraft to airlift all the Kano intending pilgrims before the deadline.
Meanwhile, the General Authority for Civil Aviation (GACA) in Saudi Arabia has extended landing permits of Nigerian Hajj carriers from July 4 to 6.
Spokeswoman for the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), Fatima Usara, stated this on Monday in a statement.
She explained that the extension was necessitated by excessive flight cancellations and flight delays.
She said from June 10 to 13, nine flights were cancelled.
This, according to her, was due to reasons ranging from inability of some states’ pilgrims boards to secure basic travel allowance (BTA) for pilgrims, insufficient funds for visas and unavailable PCR test results.
Ms Usara revealed that 13 flights were cancelled with another 57 delayed take-offs, seven of which were in two digits, with the highest being 24 hours’ delay.
“It was followed by 23 hours’ delay, 22 hours and lowest in this category are twice 10-hour delays. Only 13 flights left on schedule out of the 65 outbound flights so far witnessed from the country,” she added. “From Monday, July 4, the extension will commence to July 6 for one of the airlines, whereas July 4 and 5 have been approved for the other airlines.
“NAHCON sought the extension to enable it to transport its remaining pilgrims into the Kingdom for the 2022 Hajj. Out of the 43,008 pilgrims expected to arrive in Saudi Arabia from Nigeria, 27,359, inclusive of 527 staff as well as committees and board members, under the government quota have been conveyed,” Ms Usara further disclosed. “Similarly, over 5,000 out of the 8,097 Tour Operators’ pilgrims with valid visas were moved through scheduled flights and other arrangements.”
She reiterated that no pilgrim would be left behind as long as that individual has valid travel documents.
