As the return of over forty thousand Nigerian pilgrims set to commence today, the first flight of over five hundred pilgrims have departed from King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia to Bauchi, Nigeria.
The flight, MaxAir successfully operated Flight VM269 which departed at exactly 08:07 hours Saudi time, was carrying a total of 551 pilgrims and officials on board.
Among them, 550 pilgrims were from Bauchi State, while one pilgrim was from Plateau State and the flight also included seven Hajj officials accompanying the group.
This marks the first return flight of the 2025 Hajj return phase for pilgrims from Bauchi State, bringing the total number of flights so far to one and total number of pilgrims airlifted to 551.
The Hajj Commission and relevant state officials have expressed their satisfaction with the smooth operations and safe transport of the pilgrims.
By Mubarak Mahmood
