The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has announced that 1,905 Nigerian pilgrims and officials are back home from Saudi Arabia after the 2026 Hajj.
The airlift operations started on June 3, right after the pilgrims finished their main Hajj activities in Makkah, Mina, Arafat, and Muzdalifah.
According to information from the NAHCON Command and Control Centre, the first return flight, MaxAir flight NGL267, took off from Jeddah to Abuja on June 3 at 9:27 a.m. This flight carried 560 pilgrims from Nasarawa State.
On June 4, Flynas flight XY9866 left Jeddah for Kebbi at 5:53 a.m. with 426 pilgrims on board.
Later that same day, MaxAir flight NGL263 departed Jeddah for Abuja at 10:54 a.m. It had 560 passengers, which included 559 pilgrims from Nasarawa and one from Katsina State.
Also on June 4, Flynas flight XY9484 flew from Jeddah to Gateway International Airport in Iperu, Ogun State. This flight took off at 3:54 p.m. with 345 pilgrims from Ogun State.
The fifth flight, UMZA flight UY3546, left Jeddah for Abuja at 8:10 p.m. This flight carried 14 pilgrims and 18 officials.
The passengers included three pilgrims from Bauchi State and 11 from the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), along with Hajj officials.
With these five flights, a total of 1,905 pilgrims and officials have returned to Nigeria. The inbound operation has had five successful return trips so far.
NAHCON stated that this return process is part of its logistics plan to ensure a smooth and orderly return for Nigerian pilgrims after the annual pilgrimage.
The commission had previously assured the pilgrims and their families of a safe return, saying they made proper arrangements for this process.
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