The return airlift of Nigerian pilgrims from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has entered its tenth day and is progressing steadily in line with return leg slots allocation secured by each of the official air carriers.
A statement from the commission said as at time of this report, a total of 17, 347 have been transported from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to Nigeria. Some states have successfully concluded the return journey of their pilgrims, while others have reached various stages of completion. States that have completed their return airlift include Nasarawa, Gombe, Kogi, Oyo, Osun, Ogun, Jigawa, Kwara and Plateau. While Lagos, Kebbi and FCT (Federal Capital Territory) have gone above 65% — 80%
However some states are yet to commence their return flights and this is due to NAHCON’s policy of first-in-first-out enforced on each airline. For instance, pilgrims from the South-South states departed Nigeria on 19th May, 2026, while Kano pilgrims commenced their outbound airlift from Nigeria on 16th May, 2026 and Kaduna pilgrims on 14th May, 2026. States yet to begin the return journey are Adamawa, Armed Forces, Bayelsa, Benue, Borno, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Ekiti, Enugu, Imo, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Niger, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe and Zamfara states. As for Adamawa and Taraba states that began their airlift fairly early, their official carrier is still airlifting its allocated pilgrims proportionate to its secured airlift slots.
It is important to note that the return schedule is determined by the airlift slots secured by the designated airlines. Therefore, the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has advised the designated airlines to take measures to complete the airlift within the agreed 19 days window, which had been planned to cover period of pilgrims’ accommodation, feeding, transport and medical services. As backed by contractual agreements, the Commission will implement contingency rescue plan if it becomes obvious that any airline cannot meet up with the schedule.
The Chairman/CEO of NAHCON, Ambassador Ismail Abba Yusuf, has assured all pilgrims, their families and general public of the timely return of every Nigerian pilgrim.
According to the Chairman, all Nigerian pilgrims will be airlifted back home well before the Saudi deadline for the departure of pilgrims, which falls on the 15th of Muharram the Gregorian date of which is 30th June, 2026.
NAHCON appreciates the cooperation of pilgrims and their families, the airlines and all stakeholders; and will continue to provide regular updates on the return airlift operations.