By Sadiq Abdulfatah

The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), in a post on its official X (Twitter) handle, said the 2026 Hajj airlift recorded further progress on May 5, 2026, as two MaxAir flights departed Nigeria for Madinah, Saudi Arabia.

MaxAir VM3005 departed Gombe at 01:02hrs with 411 pilgrims from Gombe State. The passengers comprised 238 males and 173 females. This brought the total number of pilgrims airlifted to 3,429, with 8 flights completed at that point.

Shortly after, MaxAir VM3003 departed Abuja at 02:23hrs carrying 557 pilgrims from Nasarawa State. The flight carried 339 males and 218 females.

Following the latest departure, the total number of Nigerian pilgrims airlifted for the 2026 Hajj has now risen to 3,986, while the total number of completed flights stands at 9.

The airlift exercise continues smoothly as preparations intensify for this year’s pilgrimage.