The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria says it completed the airlift of approximately 73,000 pilgrims from the 36 states, the Federal Capital Territory, and the armed forces to Saudi Arabia for the 2023 Hajj exercise within its planned timeline, describing the operation as a success despite a number of challenges reported by pilgrims and state welfare boards along the way. NAHCON Chairman Zikrullah Kunle Hassan said the "timely completion" of the airlift, along with accommodation of pilgrims in five-star hotels in Medina and the feeding arrangements provided during the pilgrimage, would stand as evidence of the exercise's overall success.
The airlift relied on a mix of Nigerian and foreign carriers contracted for the exercise, coordinating with State Muslim Pilgrims' Welfare Boards to move tens of thousands of pilgrims to and from Saudi Arabia within the tight window dictated by the Islamic lunar calendar. Operators using Qatar Airways, EgyptAir, Ethiopian Airlines, and Turkish Airlines were reported to have experienced comparatively fewer operational issues during the exercise than some of the carriers contracted directly for the airlift.
Complaints Alongside the Success Claims
Despite NAHCON's overall characterisation of the exercise as successful, pilgrims and some state officials raised complaints during and after the 2023 Hajj over flight delays, last-minute schedule changes, and, in some cases, accommodation that did not match what had been promised. The commission acknowledged that some challenges had been recorded during the exercise, while maintaining that the scale of the operation, one of the largest annual civilian air movements involving Nigeria, had nonetheless been carried out broadly as planned.
The scale of Nigeria's annual Hajj spending has also drawn scrutiny, with critics pointing to the substantial foreign exchange outlay required to fund the exercise at a time when the country's official currency market was under significant strain following the government's move to unify its exchange rate windows earlier in the year.
Lessons for Future Airlifts
NAHCON said it would review the operational lessons from the 2023 exercise, including the performance of individual contracted carriers, as it began preparations for future Hajj seasons, with airline selection and compliance with safety and scheduling requirements expected to remain central to how the commission structures airlift agreements going forward.
