The first airlifting of Ghanaian pilgrims from the Tamale International Airport will commence on Friday, May 1, 2026, followed by the second one on Saturday, May 2, 2026, and the third on May 3, 2026, which ends the flights from the Northern sector.
All but the third flight will carry 430 pilgrims. The third will convey 345 pilgrims.
Flights from the Southern sector will commence from the Accra International Airport on May 11, 2026 with 430 pilgrims, to be followed on May 12, 2026 with the second flight which will also convey 430 pilgrims.
The third, according to the schedule, will depart Accra on Wednesday, May 13, 2026 with 430 pilgrims, and the fourth will depart on Thursday, May 14, 2026 with the same number.
The fifth flight will carry 430 pilgrims on Friday, May 15, 2026, and the sixth will depart on May 16, 2026 with the same number.
The last flight, which will be on May 17, 2026, will have on board 345 pilgrims to be made up of paid-up pilgrims, protocol, complimentary, medical, da’wa and taskforce members.
In a related development, members of the advance team are reported to have landed safely in Saudi Arabia ahead of the arrival of the Ghanaian contingent of pilgrims.
They have already had an engagement with the Ghana Consul General in Saudi Arabia before beginning their assignments of ensuring logistical, accommodation, transportation, and medical arrangements at the various stations of the annual pilgrimage.
The stations which entail bus travels from one location to another, some six hours on first class roads, demand proper arrangements on the ground.
At some stations, pilgrims spend a number of days before proceeding to the final destination ahead of the return trips to Ghana. Therein lies the importance of dispatching advance teams ahead of the arrival of the main body of pilgrims.
The annual pilgrimage is preceded by a Hajj conference hosted by the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah during which quotas and new directives are announced.
The circumambulating of the Ka’ba by pilgrims is a critical segment of the pilgrimage.
As the holiest site in Islam, it is located in the centre of the Masjid al Haram in Mecca and serves as the focal point for daily prayers and the Hajj pilgrimage. The cube-like shaped structure is covered in a black cloth, Kiswah, and houses the Black Stone in its eastern corner.
Islamic tradition holds that it was built by Prophet Ibrahim, Abraham, and his son Ismail, though it has been reconstructed and modified multiple times throughout history, including before the time of Prophet Muhammad.