By: Bayero Ade
The Federal Government of Nigeria, through the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), has announced the suspension of Max Air’s operations for three months following an incident involving one of its aircraft in Kano on Tuesday night.
According to Afripost, on January 28, 2025, at around 10:51 p.m., a Boeing 737-400 aircraft belonging to Max Air, with the registration number 5N-MBD, experienced a tyre burst while attempting to land at Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport. While all 53 passengers were safely evacuated, the incident caused a temporary shutdown of the runway, which was cleared and reopened by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) at 8:00 a.m. the next morning.
This marks the third incident involving a Max Air aircraft in the last three months, prompting the NCAA to take immediate action. In a statement, the NCAA confirmed it would work with the Nigeria Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) to investigate the cause of the tyre burst.
Michael Achimugu, the NCAA’s Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, stated that a thorough investigation is essential to determine the specific reasons behind the incident. He added that the NCAA had already been conducting regular risk assessments of all scheduled operators, including Max Air.
Following the latest event, Max Air has voluntarily suspended its domestic flight operations for three months, starting at midnight on January 31, 2025. This suspension will allow the airline to conduct a full review of its internal operations.
During the suspension period, the NCAA will conduct a detailed safety and financial audit of Max Air. The safety audit will focus on evaluating the airline’s personnel, procedures, and aircraft in compliance with aviation safety standards, while the financial audit will assess the airline’s financial health to ensure it can maintain safe operations.
Max Air’s domestic flights will only resume once the audits are successfully completed. The NCAA acknowledged the inconvenience this may cause to passengers but emphasized that ensuring safety remains the top priority, urging the public to be patient while the necessary measures are taken to improve operations.
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