Dapo Abiodun, Ogun governor, says Gateway Air, the state-owned airline, is prepared to fly Hajj pilgrims from the state and other southwest states to Saudi Arabia.
On Friday, Abiodun met with a delegation from the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), led by Anofiu Elegushi, the commissioner of operations. He stated that Ogun will explore opportunities to participate in the private-sector-driven Hajj airlift arrangement, especially for pilgrims from Oyo, Osun, Ondo, and Ekiti states.
He stated that Ogun had always expressed an interest in chartering an aircraft under the Gateway Air brand to transport its pilgrims directly from Gateway International Airport.
“We have always expressed an interest in chartering our own aircraft based on what we saw the last time. We would like to call it Gateway Air, and we would like to fly our pilgrims ourselves because we believe we can do so efficiently,” Abiodun stated.
Abiodun thanked NAHCON for assisting with the direct airlift of Ogun pilgrims from the Gateway International Airport during the previous Hajj exercise.
Culled from the Cable
