The management of Max Air officially confirmed the serious incident involving its aircraft at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport late Tuesday night.
The PUNCH reported how a Max Air aircraft with registration number: 5N-MBD, carrying 53 passengers, suffered a tyre burst while attempting to land at the Kano airport.
However, all 53 passengers and crew were disembarked unhurt.
The incident occurred at about 10:57 p.m. after the aircraft arriving from Lagos lost its nose landing gear tyre during the landing process.
In a statement posted by the airline on its X handle, it said its crew members handled the situation professionally to ensure the safe evacuation of all passengers and crew members.
It said, “We wish to inform the public that one of our aircraft experienced an incident upon landing in Kano yesterday.”
The airline added that the Kano runway is temporarily closed for inspection and clearance, which may lead to some delays in flight operations on Wednesday.
“There were no injuries, and the aircraft has since been removed from the runway as of 04:28,” the statement said.
“Our Max Air engineering team continues to demonstrate excellence in handling such situations. We will keep you informed on the status of flight schedules,” the statement said.
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority has ordered an immediate thorough inspection of the airport runway.
Also, efforts to speak with the officials of the Nigeria Safety Investigation Bureau were unsuccessful. Several calls and text messages put across to the spokesperson for the agency were neither picked up nor responded to.
Early in December 2024, a Max Air aircraft caught fire, forcing the aircraft to make an emergency landing barely 10 minutes after departing Maiduguri airport, in Borno state.
Close to 100 Nigerians escaped death in the incident including the state Deputy Governor, Usman Kadafur.
