Flynas, a Saudi-designated Nigerian Hajj air carrier, has signed an agreement with the Nigerian government to transport pilgrims for the 2025 Hajj season.

The agreement comes as Nigeria announces its plan to begin the airlift of pilgrims to Saudi Arabia on May 5th, 2025.

The 2025 Hajj pilgrims airlift agreement was signed on Monday at the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) headquarters in Abuja by Khaled Alhejairi, Chief Commercial Officer of Flynas, and Professor Abdullahi Usman, Chairman and CEO of NAHCON.

“We want to assure NAHCON that Flynas would continue to provide comfortable and enduring travelling experiences to our esteemed customers in Nigeria during the Hajj operation,” stated Mr. Alhejairi.

He emphasised Flynas’s commitment to maintaining its “sterling legacy of providing superlative services to Nigerian pilgrims.”

He noted that Flynas has been operating in the Nigerian Hajj ecosystem since 2014, consistently fulfilling its obligations to pilgrims.

“Our brand has continued to fulfil all its obligations to our esteemed pilgrims without let or hindrance,” Mr. Alhejairi said.

“We are happy that our experiences in Nigeria in the last 10 years have been that of excellent service delivery to our dear pilgrims. We would continue to improve on our services for the benefit of our great pilgrims.”

In January, NAHCON approved Flynas, Air Peace, Max Air, and Umza Aviation Services Limited for the 2025 Hajj operation.

Flynas, recognised as the most experienced of the selected airlines, has successfully airlifted Nigerian pilgrims for the past 10 consecutive years.

NAHCON has preliminarily allocated 22,894 pilgrims to Flynas, out of a projected state quota of 71,274. Air Peace has been allocated 9,145 pilgrims, Max Air 23,342, and Umza Air 15,893.

Operating with over 100 permanent and local ad hoc workers, Flynas operates in Nigeria under the Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) between Nigeria and Saudi Arabia. 

The airline’s involvement in the Nigerian Hajj sector has contributed to workforce capacity building and the stabilisation of pilgrim airlift operations.