By Joy Odor Reportcircle News
Just before dawn on Saturday, January 10, 2026, a wide-body aircraft eased onto the tarmac in Amman, marking more than the arrival of passengers.
According to Celestine Toruka, the
Deputy Director, Media and Public Relations, Nigerian Christian Pilgrim Commission (NCPC) in a press statement made available to newsmen in Abuja informed that it signaled a turning point in Nigeria’s faith-tourism logistics.
The second batch of Nigerian Christian pilgrims for the 2025 Main Pilgrimage Exercise arrived safely in the Jordanian capital, expanding an operation that is fast redefining scale, coordination, and ambition in the country’s pilgrimage administration.
Leading the delegation was the Chairman of the Nigerian Christian Pilgrim Commission (NCPC), Rt. Rev. Prof. Monsignor Cletus Gotan, at the head of a contingent of over 500 pilgrims drawn from Borno State, Bauchi State, and consular groups.
On arrival, the pilgrims were received by a cross-section of international and local partners critical to the exercise: Wisam Tabar, Chairman of Tabar Tours (Nazareth, Israel); Shadia Srour, General Manager of Tabar Tours; alongside officials of SkyRise and Uniteam, the designated ground handlers coordinating movement and logistics on Jordanian soil.
For the pilgrims, Amman represents the opening chapter of a carefully sequenced spiritual journey.
They are scheduled to spend several nights in Jordan before proceeding to Israel, completing a 10-day pilgrimage circuit across key holy sites.
Behind the scenes, however, the arrival underscores a larger operational milestone.
The 2025 Main Pilgrimage Exercise, which officially commenced on December 29, 2025, has already recorded the safe return of all first-batch pilgrims to Nigeria on January 8, 2026, a timeline that reflects tighter scheduling and improved turnaround efficiency.
More significantly, the NCPC has set a new benchmark in airlift capacity.
For the first time in the history of Christian pilgrimage operations from Nigeria, the Commission deployed a Boeing 777-300, a wide-body aircraft with over 500 seating capacity, the largest aircraft ever used in the country for the air transportation of Christian pilgrims to the Holy Land.
Industry observers note that the move signals a shift toward consolidation, cost efficiency, and higher operational confidence at a time when aviation costs and international travel complexities remain elevated.
As the second batch settles into Jordan and prepares for the next leg of the journey, the Commission’s message is clear: Nigeria’s pilgrimage programme is no longer operating at the margins, it is scaling up, deliberately and visibly.
