The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has concluded the airlift of all Nigerian pilgrims to Saudi Arabia for the 2024 Hajj.

Spokesperson of the commission, Fatima Usara, said in a statement on Monday, disclosed that the last flight with about 211 pilgrims from Zamfara, Sokoto, Kebbi, Bauchi, FCT and Niger States had been airlifted
Sixty-five thousand pilgrims from Nigeria are expected to perform the 2024 Hajj.

The Saudi authorities had set June 10 as the deadline for the arrival of all pilgrims at the kingdom’s airports.

Usara, however, noted that Aero Contractors was scheduled to end its airlift of Private Tour Operators’ pilgrims by 2 pm on Monday, while all other Private Tour Operators are expected to conclude the conveyance of their pilgrims before the closure of Jeddah and Madinah airports for all inbound Hajj airlift operations.

Hajj worship is set to commence on Friday when pilgrims will move from Mecca to Mina in preparation for the pivotal day of Arafat, marking the beginning of the Hajj.

Usara further noted that the return journey for the 2024 Hajj would begin on June 22 on a first-in-first-out basis, adding that slots for the return journey had been secured by all airlines.