MaxAir Suspends Operations

MaxAir, a prominent Nigerian airline based in Katsina, has announced the suspension of all its flight operations for three months, effective midnight on January 31, 2025. This decision comes in the wake of a recent incident involving the airline’s only Boeing 737-400 aircraft, 5N-MBD, which suffered a nose wheel landing gear collapse and a rear tire burst during a landing at Kano on January 28.

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has stepped in, ordering a comprehensive safety and economic audit of the airline. Michael Achimugu, the NCAA’s director for consumer protection and public affairs, emphasized that the audit will scrutinize MaxAir’s organizational processes, personnel, and aircraft to ensure compliance with Nigeria’s Civil Aviation Regulations. Additionally, the economic audit will assess the airline’s financial health to determine its ability to sustain safe operations.

Previous Safety Incidents

This isn’t the first time MaxAir has faced scrutiny. In July 2023, the NCAA suspended all of the airline’s Boeing 737 operations following a series of incidents. One of the most notable occurred on May 7, 2023, when the same aircraft, 5N-MBD, lost one of its main landing gears during a flight between Yola and Abuja. Just a few months later, on July 11, the aircraft experienced an aborted take-off in Kano due to high exhaust gas temperatures.

These incidents are part of a broader pattern. According to ch-aviation data, MaxAir has been involved in 11 incidents and accidents since 2019, including three serious ones. The airline’s fleet, which currently consists of only three active aircraft—a B737-400, a Learjet 45XR, and a Legacy 600—has been under constant strain. The inactive fleet, which includes five B737-300s and three B747-400s, raises further questions about the airline’s operational capacity.

Safety Audit

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority’s decision to conduct a thorough audit underscores the regulator’s commitment to ensuring passenger safety. Achimugu stated that the resumption of MaxAir’s domestic flights will depend on the satisfactory outcome of the audit. Meanwhile, the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) has launched an investigation into the January 28 incident, with support from the NCAA.

Achimugu also revealed that the NCAA is nearing completion of organizational risk profiles for all scheduled operators, including MaxAir. This proactive approach aims to identify and mitigate potential risks before they escalate into serious incidents.

For MaxAir, the next three months will be critical. The airline must address its operational and financial challenges while rebuilding trust with passengers and regulators. Whether it can emerge from this crisis stronger and more reliable remains to be seen.