Yemisi Izuora
Emirates has said it would operate additional flights to help facilitate travel for Nigerian pilgrims heading to and from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for this year’s Hajj pilgrimage.
The airline will be operating additional flights between July 27th and August 27th in order to support the Hajj journey of Nigerian pilgrims to the Holy city of Mecca.
Nigerian travellers with a valid Hajj visa will enjoy travel which runs along with Emirates’ regular scheduled services to Jeddah and Medina.
Emirates has commissioned a dedicated team to manage check-in and transfers for the seamless movement of Hajj passengers leaving from and transiting in Dubai.
Similarly, Emirates has planned several initiatives on-board that upholds the values and traditions of pilgrims when travelling for Hajj.
Regional Manager West Africa of the airline, Afzal Parambil said: “We wish our Nigerian Muslim faithfuls who will be travelling to Mecca for Hajj this year, a holy pilgrimage and safe trip. We at Emirates are committed to ensuring a comfortable trip. Emirates has planned several on-board initiatives that upholds the values and traditions of pilgrims.
“Extra provisions will be made to accommodate Hajj traveller’s needs such as performing ablutions and other cleansing rituals as well as advising passengers when they have entered Al Miqat zones to ensure readiness for Ihram (the point when pilgrims enter a state of sanctity) through dedicated passenger announcements. This is in addition to other service and product measures such as providing extra blankets and unperfumed hot towels”.
Nigerian travellers departing from either Lagos or Abuja to their various destinations can enjoy an amazing list of entertainment curated for their comfort on-board, but most importantly, it will also feature a special Hajj video that covers safety, formalities and information about performing the Hajj pilgrimage. Pilgrims will also be able to tune into the Holy Quran channel during their journey”, Parambil added.
The airline has stated that on flights from Jeddah, Hajj passengers can bring up to five litres of holy water (Zamzam) which will be placed in special areas in the cargo hold.
Emirates currently has a total of 158 destinations in 86 countries, with 270 aircrafts (257 passenger and 13 Freighter aircrafts) in service. It operates a double daily flight ‘to’ and ‘from’ Dubai to Lagos and daily to Abuja.