The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) concludes the 2026 Hajj return airlift of Nigerian pilgrims from Saudi Arabia and begins preparations for the 2027 Hajj. Multiple reports say the exercise ends with the departure of the final batch, including pilgrims and officials from Zamfara State, from Jeddah aboard MaxAir flight VM2014. The flight departs on Tuesday, 23 June, at 2:10 p.m. local time, and the final group is expected to arrive in Gusau later the same day. Other reports note that NAHCON has successfully completed the return airlift covering more than 38,000 Nigerian pilgrims. NAHCON officials also state that lessons learned during the airlift will be used to improve future Hajj operations. With the 2026 return logistics concluded, NAHCON moves to planning and administrative work for the next Hajj cycle, including operational adjustments based on the 2026 experience.