Kayode Akinmade: Gateway International Airport officially goes global with historic Hajj flight

Ogun State etched its sanction successful Nigeria’s aviation past connected Sunday nighttime arsenic the recently commissioned Gateway International Airport handled its archetypal planetary flight, airlifting Muslim pilgrims to Saudi Arabia for the 2026 Hajj exercise.

The milestone not lone marked the commencement of Hajj operations successful the authorities but besides positioned Ogun arsenic a rising unit successful determination and planetary aerial transport—emerging arsenic the archetypal departure constituent for Nigerian pilgrims successful this year’s exercise.

The flight, operated by Max Air, departed Iperu astatine astir 11:00 p.m. with 345 pilgrims—151 males and 194 females—alongside officials of the Ogun State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board. After a 4,600-kilometre nonstop journey, the craft landed astatine King Abdulaziz International Airport astir 4:15 a.m. Nigerian time.

Beyond the symbolic departure, the lawsuit was underscored by the palmy handling of a large-capacity planetary aircraft—widely regarded arsenic the biggest to person landed astatine the airport. The improvement signals the facility’s readiness to accommodate wide-body operations, reinforcing its compliance with planetary aviation standards and its ca...