Hajj: FG slashes aviation fuel price for carriers
Airlines selected for the 2005 hajj exercise are expected to pay N48 per litre of aviation fuel against the current price of N84.50, the Managing Director of Kabo Air, Captain Saidu Mohammed, has disclosed. Captain Mohammed, who announced this in Abuja, commended the federal government for the price cut, describing it as a most welcome development that would ensure smooth operations during the exercise. He said government’s decision has given the airline operators a concession of about N36.54 per litre on the price of aviation fuel throughout the duration of the hajj operation.
Captain Mohammed said government’s kind gesture was significant and bound to motivate the airline operators to give their best for the success of the exercise. He said, already, airline operators, fuel marketers and government officials are currently meeting to harmonise all grey areas as they affect the price reduction.
On the preparedness of Kabo Air for the hajj operation, Captain Mohammed said the airline management was fully set to airlift the 41,000 pilgrims allocated to the holy land.
According to him, five Boeing 747 aircraft in the Kabo fleet have been pencilled down for the hajj movement with three of the planes already set for the operation. The airline boss explained that one of the aircraft is present in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, while the other has been flown to Jakarta, Indonesia, for routine maintenance.
He said all arrangements have been concluded to ensure smooth operation during the hajj, adding that logistics and arrangements with handlers in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, are almost completed.
Captain Mohamed said the aircraft would be stationed at the departure points from December 24, about four days before the December 28 date, for the commencement of the operation.
The managing director also disclosed that a two week period would be used to airlift the pilgrims while the Kabo management had already made payment to the Sudanese government for the use of its airspace during the exercise. He said eight zones have been selected for the exercise namely, Sokoto, Kano, Yola, Kaduna, Ilorin, Lagos, Maiduguri and Abuja.
The Sokoto zone would feature the airlifting of pilgrims from Kebbi, Zamfara, and Sokoto States; Kano would have pilgrims from Kano and Bauchi; Adamawa, Taraba, and Gombe pilgrims would be airlifted from Yola while Kaduna would have pilgrims from Plateau, Benue and Kaduna States.
Ilorin zone would have pilgrims from Kwara, Ekiti and Ondo; Maiduguri would lift pilgrims from Yobe State, while Abuja and Lagos zones would pick pilgrims from Nasarawa and Lagos States.
Captain Mohammed said Kabo plans to commence its airlifting exercise from Kano, followed by Sokoto, Ilorin, Lagos and Abuja respectively.
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