The return airlift of Nigerian pilgrims from Saudi Arabia continued smoothly through Bauchi Airport, with Umza Aviation transporting thousands of pilgrims back to the country in a series of flights from Jeddah.
On June 11, Umza Flight UMZ3558 departed Jeddah for Bauchi with 470 pilgrims and five officials on board, comprising 318 pilgrims from Bauchi State, 151 from Plateau State and one from Zamfara State. The flight brought the total number of returning pilgrims to 13,461 across 34 flights.
The operation gathered further momentum on June 12, with two separate flights carrying 483 and 485 pilgrims respectively to Bauchi, increasing the total number of returnees to 16,730 through 42 flights.
Another flight on June 13 transported 475 Bauchi pilgrims from Jeddah, raising the cumulative airlift figure to 18,144 pilgrims on 46 flights.
On June 15, Umza Flight UMZ3572 departed Jeddah for Sokoto via Bauchi with 469 pilgrims and 16 officials, including 250 pilgrims from Bauchi and 219 from Sokoto. The flight pushed the overall return airlift to 21,637 pilgrims across 54 flights.
Officials attributed the smooth conduct of the return operations in Bauchi to the commitment of state officials, particularly the Executive Secretary of the Bauchi State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board, Dr Imam AbdulRahaman, and members of the Hajj management team. They noted that the coordination and support provided throughout the exercise contributed significantly to the seamless return of pilgrims.
