2025 Hajj: 755,344 pilgrims arrive Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabian authorities have announced that a total of 755,344 pilgrims have arrived in the country to participate in this year’s Hajj exercise, scheduled for June.

Meanwhile, the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) stated that, as of Thursday evening, a total of 36,359 Nigerians had been airlifted to the Holy Land to participate in this year’s pilgrimage, while 5,494 pilgrims under the government quota were awaiting airlift.

NAHCON’s Assistant Director I, Information and Publication, Fatima Sanda Usara, disclosed that Air Peace is projected to conclude its final Hajj flight on May 24, having secured a slot for that date.

“Similarly, UMZA Aviation is expected to complete its operations from Kaduna on the same day, with only three flights remaining.

“Max Air will conclude its airlift operations on May 25. The extension is due to an increase in the number of pilgrims who continued to register in some of the states assigned to the airline after the formal allocation.

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“In a special arrangement, FlyNas will conclude its operations on May 30. The final FlyNas flight will depart with a full complement of pilgrims, including the Governor of Kebbi State.

“Hence, the Commission will conduct mop-up flights on the 24th in Kaduna by Umza, in Abuja by Air Peace, and in Kano by Max Air. Max Air’s final flight will depart from Katsina on May 25,” Usara stated.

She assured that the few Nigerian pilgrims already in Saudi Arabia who are yet to receive their Nusuk card—mandatory for every pilgrim to perform Hajj—will receive theirs soon, adding that NAHCON is closely monitoring the issuance process.

According to her, “Regarding the Nusuk card, NAHCON has reassured the few pilgrims yet to receive their cards to remain calm, as they will get their cards soon.

“The Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, which oversees the issuance in partnership with designated service providers, has directed the immediate resolution of all outstanding issues. NAHCON is monitoring the process closely to ensure compliance and timely distribution.”

She added, “It would be recalled that on April 23, the Commission announced that its VIP service provider, Rawaf Mina, secured 2,800 bed spaces in the Tent A+ facility. As the only VIP location secured this year, distribution to interested parties has continued since the announcement.

“The NAHCON Chairman, Professor Abdullahi Saleh Usman, expressed gratitude to the Almighty for the successes achieved so far and prayed for continued success throughout the Hajj season.

“He thanked the Commission’s numerous stakeholders for their contributions in achieving this feat and praised the intending pilgrims for their patience and civil conduct.”

Meanwhile, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s General Directorate of Passports (Jawazat) has announced that a total of 755,344 pilgrims had arrived in the Kingdom through air, land, and sea ports as of Wednesday, May 21.

Saudi Gazette Newspaper reported on Thursday that data provided by the Jawazat revealed that 725,297 pilgrims arrived through airports, 27,225 through land borders, and 2,822 by sea.

“Jawazat affirmed that all resources have been mobilized to facilitate the arrival procedures for pilgrims.

“It has deployed qualified multilingual staff and cutting-edge technical equipment at all international entry points to ensure smooth and efficient processing,” the newspaper reported.

Saudi authorities had earlier, on Tuesday, April 29, received the first set of pilgrims to arrive in the Kingdom for this year’s Hajj. This included those travelling under the Makkah Route Initiative from Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, and Malaysia, who arrived via airports in Jeddah and Madinah.

Authorities designated six airports to serve pilgrims this year: