𝐊𝐞𝐲𝐚𝐦𝐨 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐒𝐥𝐨𝐭 𝐀𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐍𝐢𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐬 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔 𝐇𝐚𝐣𝐣 𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐬 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐒𝐚𝐮𝐝𝐢 𝐀𝐫𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐚

The Honourable Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, SAN, has secured slot allocations for Nigerian designated carriers for the 2026 Hajj operations following high-level meetings in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The Minister held separate meetings with the Saudi Minister of Transport and Logistics Services, Engr. Saleh bin Nasser Al-Jasser, and the President of the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA), Mr. Abdulaziz Al-Duailej, as part of ongoing efforts to strengthen bilateral aviation relations ahead of this year’s pilgrimage.

The discussions, which concluded successfully, centred on the review of the existing Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) framework signed in 2015 to reflect present-day realities and evolving dynamics in global aviation.

Key among the outcomes was the resolution of slot allocations to Nigerian designated carriers for the 2026 Hajj operations, as well as the determination of the percentage of pilgrims to be airlifted by airlines from both countries.

The successful conclusion of these talks comes against the backdrop of a brewing diplomatic crisis between Nigeria’s National Hajj Commission (NAHCON) and Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) over alleged violations of the BASA agreement .

Prior to the Minister’s intervention, Saudi authorities had expressed frustration over what they deemed a persistent violation of the binding bilateral agreement, which mandates a 50 per cent allocation of pilgrims to Saudi-designated airlines .

Highly placed sources within GACA had confirmed that the authority was prepared to take the drastic step of denying landing slots to Nigerian carriers if NAHCON failed to honour the agreement immediately .

Documents revealed that on December 22, 2025, NAHCON’s Commissioner of Operations had issued appointment letters to airlines allocating states and provisional pilgrim numbers for the 2026 airlift in a manner that allegedly favoured Nigerian carriers over their Saudi counterparts .

Instead of adjusting the overall allocation to maintain BASA compliance, NAHCON was accused of simply refusing to readjust the numbers, leading to Nigerian airlines such as Max Air, UMZA Air, and Air Peace seeing their allocations surge beyond initial provisions while the Saudi-designated carrier, Flynas, remained significantly underutilised .

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has, however, maintained a concessionary 40/60 sharing formula for the 2026 Hajj, with full enforcement of the 50/50 BASA agreement set for the 2027 Hajj operations .

This concession provided the diplomatic window for Keyamo to negotiate and secure favourable slot allocations for Nigerian carriers for the current year’s pilgrimage.

Meanwhile, the Saudi-designated Nigerian Hajj air carrier, Flynas, has already announced the deployment of six wide-body Airbus planes to transport Nigerian intending pilgrims to Saudi Arabia for the 2026 Hajj .

Alhaji Umar Kaila, the Managing Director of First Planet Travels Ltd. and General Sales Agent (GSA) for Flynas in Nigeria, disclosed that the company had lined up six wide-body Airbus A330 planes for the Hajj operation .

According to him, four of the aircraft have 430 seating capacity each, while the remaining two planes have a seating capacity of 345 each. The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has allocated 12,550 intending pilgrims to Flynas for this year’s pilgrimage .

The airline will airlift pilgrims from Kebbi, Lagos, Osun, Kaduna, Niger, Ogun and some numbers from Nasarawa state, operating from major airports including Lagos, Sokoto, Birnin Kebbi, Minna, Kaduna, and Abuja .

The meetings in Riyadh also addressed operational concerns affecting Nigerian airlines, with a focus on enhancing their performance and ensuring seamless Hajj operations this year.

The engagements were marked by frank, constructive, and productive exchanges, with both sides demonstrating a strong commitment to deepening aviation ties and resolving all outstanding issues in a mutually beneficial manner.

Keyamo expressed appreciation to the Saudi authorities for their continued cooperation and support, reaffirming Nigeria’s commitment to upholding international aviation standards and fostering strategic partnerships.

Decisions reached during the meetings, particularly those concerning the 2026 Hajj operations, have been immediately communicated to Nigeria’s designated airlines for prompt implementation.