The Minister of Aviation, Sen. Hadi Sirika, has called for a review of the 50/50 Hajj passengers sharing formula between Saudi Arabia-owned airlines and those of other Hajj participating countries.
He was speaking during a meeting with a delegation from the Saudi Arabian General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) led by its president, Abdulaziz A. Duailej.
The minister said Hajj and Umrah operations needed to be streamlined under strict regulations to make airlines stronger as well as to protect Nigerians plying that route from experiencing difficulties.
While requesting GACA’s president to consider Nigeria’s peculiarities in this regard, he noted that successful partnership depended on negotiations, compromise and seeking for mutual support and understanding.
On his part, the Chairman National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), Zikrullah Kunle Hassan, requested information on the scope of operations which the Advance Payment Guarantee (APG) covers under GACA guidelines.
The GACA president said the visit was to ensure that the preparation process of the 2023 Hajj is hitch-free and allowed participating countries time to plan to avoid hitches.
