The Nigerian Christian Pilgrims Commission said it plans to airlift 30,000 Christians on holy pilgrimage to Jerusalem, Rome and Athens this year just as it seeks the signing of Bilateral Air Service Agreement between Nigeria and Israel to direct flight from Nigeria to Tel-Aviv.
In furtherance of the BASA signing, the commission had met with the Israeli Ambassador to Nigeria to fast-track the process before the commencement of pilgrims airlifting in October.
The Executive Secretary of the commission, Mr. John Opara, who said this in Abuja on Tuesday, explained that the signing of BASA by the two countries would make flight services cheaper for pilgrims and also put an end to the security checks Nigerians were subjected to on transit.
Speaking during the screening of prospective air carriers for the 2011 pilgrimage at the NCPC office at Garki Area 2, Abuja, Opara expressed confidence that the air agreement would be signed before the end of the year, adding that the Federal Government was desirous of ending the inconvenience of Nigerian Christian pilgrims due to the lack of direct flights to Israel.
He stated that this year’s pilgrimage would be extended to Greece, stressing that the NCPC planned to extend the frontiers of Christian pilgrimage in the country with the addition of new destinations.
The secretary informed the representatives of the bidding air carriers, including TAT Nigeria, K.S Travels, Empire Aviation, Zinet Holdings Limited and Atlas Jet that the commission expected quality package from them including durable and air-worthy aircraft as well as spiritually -inspiring on-board entertainment.
“The pilgrims are not tourists, so we expect qualitative spiritual entertainment like religious films and music for them.
“Our area of challenge is the non-signing of BASA with Israel and we are working on this. The Israeli Ambassador paid us a courtesy call on Monday and we discussed it with him and he promised to facilitate it because Nigeria is an ally of Israel,” Opara said.
Speaking earlier, the Primate of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) and Chairman of NCPC, Arch-bishop Nicholas Okoh charged the air-carriers to be truthful about the kind of services they could deliver and not to promise what they could not do.
He said he was glad that the bidders were few unlike last year when 12 airlines applied, just as he assured them that the commission would be fair and sincere in its screening.
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NCPC targets 30,000 pilgrims, seeks BASA with Israel