The 2017 airlift of Hajj pilgrims will commence in Lagos fro August 4. A total number of 6,047 pilgrims will be airlifted from the Lagos zone.
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has promised that all the facilities to make the exercise hitch-free have been put in place by the government and concerned aviation agencies.
18 intending pilgrims were disqualified by Lagos State because they failed medical and medical test, but regretted that some of them later aborted the pregnancies in order to participate in the hajj exercise in Mecca.
The Commissioner, South West of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), Iman Faud Adeyemi, who made this known, also disclosed that two airlines Med-View from Nigeria and Fliners from Saudi Arabia would airlift the pilgrims out of the Lagos zone to Mecca in Saudi Arabia.
The Lagos zone for the pilgrims comprises Lagos, Oyo, Osun, Ogun, Edo States and those in the armed forces. Adeyemi gave the breakdown of the pilgrims as Lagos; 2316, Edo; 294, Oyo; 1,100, Ogun; 1,000; Osun; 962 and Armed Forces with 375 pilgrims for the exercise.
He explained that majority of the pilgrims would be airlifted by Med-View Airline while the Saudi Arabian airline would airlift pilgrims from Ogun and those from the armed forces.
