Kehinde Fajobi
The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has announced the suspension of Max Air’s operations following a tyre burst incident involving one of its aircraft at Kano’s Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport on Tuesday night, 28th January 2025.
The aircraft, a Max Air B734 with registration 5N-MBD, experienced the incident during landing at approximately 22:51 hours.
Despite the emergency, all 53 passengers were safely evacuated, with no injuries reported.
The aircraft was temporarily shut down, and the runway was reopened by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) at 8:00 am on Wednesday.
This incident marks the third involving Max Air in three months, prompting the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) to initiate an investigation into the cause of the tyre burst. NCAA, in a statement, affirmed its support for the NSIB’s probe.
Michael Achimugu, NCAA’s Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, stated, “It must be stated that the specific cause(s) of this incident can only be established after the NSIB has conducted its investigation.”
He further explained that the NCAA had begun organizational risk profiles for scheduled operators, including Max Air, which is nearing completion.
“Due to the recent incident, Max Air will suspend all domestic flights for three months, beginning at midnight on 31st January 2025, to allow for an internal review of its operations.
During this period, NCAA will carry out a comprehensive safety and economic audit of the airline.
“The safety audit will entail a re-inspection of Max Air’s organization, procedures, personnel, and aircraft… while the economic audit will critically examine the financial health of the airline,” Achimugu noted.
The suspension will remain in effect until the audit is completed satisfactorily.
While NCAA acknowledged the potential inconvenience for passengers, it reaffirmed that passenger safety remains the top priority.
“The public is urged to exercise patience during this period as the necessary steps are taken to ensure continued safety in air travel”.