Max Air resumed its domestic operation two weeks after it was suspended, following the decision of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to suspend the operation of its B737 aircraft type.
BusinessDay learnt that the resumption is coming after a successful audit of the airline by the NCAA.
The NCAA had through a letter NCAA/DG/AIR/11/16/363, suspended all Max Air’s Boeing 737 aircraft.
The suspension was due to several incidents that involved the airline’s Boeing B737 aircraft.
The incidents include the loss of the number 1 Main Landing Gear (MLG) wheel during the serious incident involving a Boeing 737-400 aircraft, registration marks 5N-MBDwhich occurred between Take-off at Yola Airport Adamawa State and on landing at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja Nigeria on May 7, 2023;
Fuel contamination of the main fuel tanks of aircraft B737-300, Registration Marks; 5N-MHM, led to the Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) shut down on the ground at Yola Airport on July 7, 2023.
Aborted take-off of Boeing 737-400 aircraft, registration marks 5N-MBD, which occurred at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA) due to high Exhaust Gas Temperature (EGT) indication on July 11, 2023.
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The incident also include an air return by aircraft B737-300, Registration Marks; 5N-MHM to Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA) due to duct overheat indication in the cockpit on July 11, 2023.
After a successful audit of the airline by the NCAA and the closure of several gaps identified in the operation, the airline returned to the air on Sunday, July 30, 2023.
Max Air in a statement on its Twitter page stated, “Max Air Limited is pleased to announce the resumption of domestic flight operations from Sunday, July 30 2023, following a temporary suspension due to safety concerns. We want to express our gratitude to our valued customers for their understanding and patience during this period.
“Safety is at the core of MaxAir Limited’s values, and we take our commitment to passenger safety with the utmost seriousness. After conducting a thorough internal investigation, it was brought to our attention that our operations were impacted by adulterated fuel.
“As a result, we promptly initiated an in-house audit and, in the interest of passenger safety, voluntarily suspended our operations for two days before the intervention of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).
“We would like to reassure all our passengers that we have been working diligently to address the safety concerns raised during this suspension period. Our dedicated team has been working around the clock to resolve these issues.”
