Interim Hajj C'ttee signs pact with Egypt Air

September 10, 2008 pg 14

Story: Musah Yahaya Jafaru
THE Interim Hajj Management Committee (IHMC) has signed a contract with Egypt Air to lift the expected 3,000 Ghanaian pilgrims to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to perform this year’s pilgrimage (Hajj).
Under the agreement, Egypt Air will run eight charter flights with each flight conveying 264 passengers.
The rest of the prospective pilgrims will go on regular flights.
Egypt Air is giving 40 (kilogrammes) free luggage to pilgrims and between five and 10 kilogrammes free hand luggage.
The Chairman of the IHMC, Alhaji Limuna Mohammed Muniru, signed on behalf of the committee while the District Manager of Egypt Air, Mr Maher Hussein, signed on behalf of Egyptair.
Present at the signing ceremony were representatives of the Ghana Hajj Agents Association.
Alhaji Muniru said the committee entered into the contract with Egypt Air because it was a known airline with a record of conveying pilgrims to and from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
“Egypt Air is one of the reliable airlines when it comes to Hajj operations. We have tested them and know that they have the capacity,” he stressed.
He said in the event of any disappointment, members of the IHMC could easily trace the offices of Egypt Air.
According to Alhaji Muniru, the committee had invited several airlines for negotiation and that it was Egypt Air that responded and indicated its readiness to go with charter and regular flights.
He said members of the committee and managers of Egypt Air would have operational meetings to come out with the specific dates and time for departure and the return journey.
He said the committee would also meet with the Airport Company and the Ghana Civil Aviation to agree on the modalities for the check-ins.
Mr Hussein said he had learnt of the suffering that Ghanaian pilgrims went through, and that he had always entertained the idea of helping them.
He gave the assurance that Egypt Air would be responsible and offer good service to the prospective pilgrims.
“We will not leave anything by accident. Everything is planned to make everyone happy,” Mr Hussein stressed.
Hajj organisation in Ghana has faced difficulty with flight arrangements, with last year’s arrangement described as the worst ever. The prospective pilgrims waited at the Aviation Social Centre for about 11 days awaiting the arrival of flights.
The flights arrived later, which compelled the government to appeal to the authorities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for the extension of arrival of Ghanaian pilgrims at the Jeddah Airport.