Medview Airline on Thursday began the transportation of its quota of 10,000 pilgrims from the Hajj Camp of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the first flight, a B747-200 aircraft carrying 320 pilgrims from Lagos State, departed the MMIA on Thursday at 7.35a.m for Saudi Arabia.
NAN reports that 2,001 pilgrims from the state are expected to participate in the 2018 pilgrimage according to records released by the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON).
The Executive Director, Business Development, Alhaji Isiaq Na’allah, Medview Airline, told newsmen that the airline would also transport pilgrims from Kaduna, Maiduguri, Ilorin as well some from Guinea Bissau and Niger Republic.
Na’allah said: “We give praise to the Almighty Allah for giving us the strength to start our airlift.
“This is the first flight we are doing this year and we are hoping to transport 10,000 pilgrims.
“We are transporting our pilgrims from Lagos, Kaduna, Maiduguri and Ilorin.
“Obviously, it’s challenging if you look at the number of passengers we use to carry in such a short period, it is challenging and so you need a very high-capacity aircraft.
“That is why we have brought this aircraft; it is a triple seven (777) and a modern aircraft.
“This aircraft has a capacity of 323, but right now, we are going with 320 pilgrims from Lagos State.”
Na’ Allah lauded the consistency of Medview in hajj operations, adding that the airline had been able to provide the needed comfort to pilgrims since it began the flight services 12 years ago.
