The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has suspended the operations of Max Air, one of the airlines in Nigeria indefinitely.
In a letter NCAA/DG/AIR/11/16/363, NCAA directed the suspension of Parts A3 and D43 with regards to the operation of Max Air’s Boeing 737 aircraft type with immediate effect.
Parts A3 deals with the airline’s Aircraft Authorisation and D43 deals with Aircraft Listing of the Operations Specifications issued to Max Air Ltd.
By implications, the airline’s domestic operations would be halted pending when the regulatory agency lifts the suspension.
This suspension is coming barely hours after a Nigerian journalist David Hundeyin warned of an impending air disaster alerting Nigerians to the problems some airlines including Max Air were contending with.
He had on Wednesday reported how a Max Air Boeing 737-3H4 with the tail identifier 5N-MHM took off from a Nigerian airport at about 12:15 with nearly 100 passengers onboard could have crashed, although this flight actually made it to Yola Airport and the passengers disembarked safely.
“The passengers on the Sokoto-bound flight were never told exactly what happened, neither were the disembarking passengers on the Abuja-Yola flight informed that they had just survived what could easily have been their last-ever journey. In fact, it is only after reading this story that these passengers will realise just how close they came to death in a Jet-A1 fireball somewhere in the Sahel,” he had said.
“The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) hereby suspends Parts A3 (Aircraft Authorisation) and D43 (Aircraft Listing) of the Operations Specifications issued to Max Air Ltd. with regards to the operations of the Boeing B737 aircraft type in your fleet.”
“With the above suspension, you are to immediately suspend the operations of all Boeing B737 aircraft in your fleet.
“The Authority’s action is due to the several occurrences that involved your Boeing B737 aircraft as listed hereunder,” read the letter signed by Director, Operations Training & Licensing, Captain Ibrahim Bello Dambazau, for Director General of Civil Aviation, Capt. Musa Nuhu.
“The occurrences listed in the letter include the Loss of Number 1 Main Landing Gear (MLG) wheel during the serious incident involving a Boeing 737-400 aircraft, registration marks 5N-MBD which occurred between Take-off at Yola Airport Adamawa State and on landing at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja Nigeria on 7th May, 2023;
“Another incident was Fuel Contamination of the main fuel tanks of aircraft B737-300, Registration Marks; 5N-MHM, leading to the Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) shutdown on ground Yola Airport on the 7th of July, 2023.
“The third incident was the 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 the 11th of July, 2023.
“Lastly, 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 the 11th of July, 2023.”
The NCAA said it had constituted a team of inspectors to conduct an audit of Max Air.
The result of this audit, it said, must be found satisfactory by the Authority prior to considering the restoration of the privileges of the Operations Specifications to your organisation to further operate the aircraft type.