One hundred Nigerian Pilgrims from both Hajj Commission and Tour operators have arrivedTaif international airport for the first time in history.
The main aim is to help decongest Jeddah and Madina airports especially for Pilgrims and non Arab countries .
Over the years Jeddah ‘s King Abdulaziz International airport and MADINA ‘s Prince Mohammad bin Abdulaziz international airport has always been packed beyond capacity during Hajj and Umrah operations , due to the large number of passengers .
The Saudi airport administration had tried to resolve this problem but its efforts had not yielded much results
That is until the Saudi authorities came up with a plan to open existing Taif International airport which is one hundred and twenty kilometers from Makkah, approximately an hour’s drive away.
The airport has the capacity of five million passengers annually and will now accommodate pilgrims coming from Africa and Non Arab countries .
At Taif International airport , members of National Hajj Commission in Makkah were present to welcome one hundred Nigerian pilgrims .
This is the first time in history for Nigerian pilgrims visiting Saudi Arabia for Hajj exercise.
Tvc News Spoke to Deputy Coordinator of the National Hajj Commission in Makkah who shed light on the new developments .
He also disclosed that; Commission as a regulatory agency , will ensure pilgrims get value for their money from tour operators .
And Tour operators expressed willingness to work with the Commission at all times during the Hajj and Umrah exercise to make transportation easier and faster for pilgrims.
Pilgrims on their part are overwhelmed by the arrangements made by both the commission and tour operators .
Pilgrims are advised to be good ambassadors of the Nation and abide by the rules and regulations of the Holy Land.