24 hours after hundreds of stranded Saudi Arabia bound Nigerian Muslim pilgrims protested at the Murtala Muhamed Airport following an hitch suffered by Arik Airline to airlift them to the holy land for the 2023 hajj exercise, the airline has resumed the airlift of the pilgrims.
The flight resumption is coming few dsys to the closure of Saudi airspace by the Saudi authorities.
There are still over 15,000 Nigerian intending pilgrims waiting to be airlifted to the Holy Land.
In a statement issued by the airline management today, it declared that it has resumed operations with the airlift of 413 pilgrims to Medina.
The airline is expected to operate from Lagos, Abuja and Kano simultaneously to clear the backlog of pilgrims going to Jeddah and Medina for the 2023 pilgrimage.
The private pilgrims Arik Air is airlifting are those registered with the Association for Hajj and Umrah Operators of Nigeria (AHUON).
The airline also assured the intending pilgrims that it will endeavour to airlift all of them while also thanking the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) for its assistance in resolving the issues which led to the initial suspension of the hajj operations even as it appreciated tesd the pilgrims for their understanding and patience.
Arik airline was allocated the slot to carry about 10,000 pilgrims spread across Abuja, Lagos and Kano.
