Mecca — Airlift of pilgrims back to Nigeria after this year's pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia has run into a hitch as Nigeria's daily flight slots have been reduced from 15 to 6 by the Saudi authorities.

The home-bound journey began on December 1 and is expected to last 26 days according to the original plan. This is, however, being threatened by the cut in flight slots.

The reduction of the flight slots, according to Daily Trust findings, followed the ongoing test-run of some new security facilities installed at the King AbdulAziz International Airport, Jedda, and Saudi government's stand against congestion at the airport.

Director of operations for the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) Lanre Badmus confirmed the snail-speed of the home-bound airlift. He, however, assured that things would pick up in three days' time when the test-run would have been completed.

Based on the initial flight schedules, airlift of Jigawa pilgrims to Nigeria by Meridian Airlines would have been over by yesterday after which the air carrier would start the airlift of Kano pilgrims today. But because of the cut in slots, the airline had no flight on Saturday for pilgrims from Jigawa and the one it had yesterday was expected to leave by 9pm Saudi time (11pm in Nigeria).

Daily Trust gathered that the same was the case with other air carriers approved for this year's hajj. Zamfara pilgrims' first flight by Kabo Air that was supposed to depart on Friday left on Saturday, 24 hours behind schedule. The return journey for Kano pilgrims that was earlier scheduled for today by Meridian Airlines may now begin on Wednesday.

The development also distorted the movement schedules of regular pilgrims from Mecca to Medina. Some of the Medina-bound pilgrims had their trip postponed because of the slow pace of pilgrims' airlift to Nigeria.

However, chairman of Medview Air Munnir Bankole allayed pilgrims' fears over the development as, he said, flight operations would soon pick up. He said what the Saudi government was doing was for the safety and comfort of all pilgrims.

Also, NAHCON's director for Kano zone Alhaji Mustapha Bappa Chinade described the hitch as temporary, saying Saudi authorities have provided enough screening bays at the Jedda airport for Nigerian pilgrims and so when flight slots have eventually been increased the operations would be faster.

Meanwhile, more than 10,000 Nigerian pilgrims have so far been conveyed to Nigeria. Leader of the Federal Government's delegation to this year's hajj Senator Mahmud Kanti Bello, who announced this in Jedda yesterday, said the return airlift would be in accordance with the dates indicated on pilgrims' air tickets.

Bello said he would not leave the holy land until more than half of the pilgrims returned home. He also said the luggage policy was still in force and therefore warned that excess luggage would not be condoned.