The Federal Government, through the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), has suspended Max Air’s domestic flight operations following a tyre burst incident involving one of its aircraft in Kano.
A Max Air Boeing 737-400 (B734) with registration 5N-MBD suffered a tyre burst while landing at Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport on Tuesday, January 28, 2025, at approximately 22:51 hours.
This marks the third incident involving Max Air in three months. Though the 53 passengers onboard were evacuated safely, the aircraft was temporarily grounded before the runway was reopened by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) at 8:00 AM on Wednesday.
The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) has launched an investigation into the incident. Confirming the development, NCAA’s Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Michael Achimugu, stated that the specific cause would be determined after the NSIB completes its investigation.
The NCAA had already begun organizational risk profiling for all scheduled operators, including Max Air. However, following this latest incident, the airline will suspend its domestic flight operations for three months, starting from midnight, January 31, 2025, to conduct an internal appraisal of its operations.
During the suspension, the NCAA will conduct a comprehensive safety and economic audit of Max Air.
- The safety audit will review Max Air’s organization, procedures, personnel, and aircraft as outlined in Part 1.3.3.3(b) of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations.
- The economic audit will assess the airline’s financial health to ensure it can sustain safe flight operations.
Resumption of Max Air’s domestic operations will depend on the satisfactory completion of this audit.
Acknowledging the inconvenience to passengers, NCAA emphasized that safety and well-being remain a top priority and appealed for patience and understanding.