National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) and the Saudi authorities, General Authority on civil Aviation (GACA) have reached an agreement on how to facilitate the return of Nigerian pilgrims.

This was disclosed in a statement signed its Deputy Director of Information and Publications, Mousa Ubandawaki.

According to the statement, the agreement was a sequel to the high level meeting between the Saudi and NAHCOH on the slow pace of the airlift operation.

“Effective from tomorrow Wednesday, all the Nigerian licensed carriers would begin to operate their in-bound flight to Nigeria optimally,” the statement read.

It added, “With the situation, Max Airline with three aircrafts on its fleet will be able to operate all the aircraft to Nigeria everyday, the same with Aero Contractors, Air peace, Azman and Arik Air which is dedicated to the airlift of private tour operators.

“The new development is expected to ease the strain on the agitation of Nigerian pilgrims who have been anxious to return to Nigeria since the conclusion of the Hajj rites on the 30th june.

“It will also increase the pace of the airlift operation which have been bogged down by non-availability of slots to the Nigerian licensed carriers especially by the Saudi Civil Aviation Authority.”

NAHCON also expressed concerns about the situation which solution it has been battling with since the commencement of the second phase of the airlift operation.