- FlyNas assures seamless journey for Nigerian pilgrims during 2024 Hajj exercise, emphasizing its 10-year experience and local operations
- Alhaji Umar Kaila highlights FlyNas’ readiness and capacity to transport over 30,000 pilgrims, underscoring compliance with regulations
The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of First Planet Travels Limited, a General Sales Agent (GSA) of Flynas, Alhaji Umar Kaila, has assured a seamless journey for pilgrims that the airline will transport during the 2024 Hajj exercise.
FlyNas recently signed a pilgrim’s airlift agreement with the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) to transport pilgrims from Borno, Lagos, Osun, Ogun, Niger, Sokoto, Kebbi, Yobe, and Zamfara states to Saudi Arabia this year.
During an interview with selected journalists in Abuja, Kaila emphasized that the airline has been operating in Nigeria for 10 years and is well-acquainted with the terrain.
“As we have done in the last 10 years, Flynas is fully prepared to transport Nigerian pilgrims to Saudi Arabia for the 2024 pilgrimage. Flynas has been in Nigeria since 2014 as part of the Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) between Nigeria and Saudi Arabia.”
Regarding its capacity, he stated that Flynas has more than enough capacity to transport over 30,000 pilgrims if given the opportunity.
“With over 100 trained and competent local adhoc staff, there is no doubt that Flynas’ entry into the Nigerian Hajj ecosystem has significantly contributed to building the capacity of its workforce and stabilizing the airlift operations of pilgrims to and from Saudi Arabia.”
He also mentioned that the airline has been compliant with regulations that mandate taking care of pilgrims when they spend more than 8 hours in airports.
“However, keeping an aircraft for eight to ten hours represents a significant loss for us. Flynas operates across 19 different countries, so we incur such losses because if an aircraft meant to spend three hours on the ground stays for eight or nine hours, it is a substantial loss for the airline,” he explained.
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