Mohammed Shosanya
The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has suspended the Boeing 737 aircraft fleet of Azman Air following series of incidents involved the aircraft type in the airline in the past two months.
The agency has immediately set up a team of inspectors to conduct an audit of Max Air operations.
The regulatory agency conveyed this through a letter to the airline, dated July 12, 2023 with the reference number: NCAA/DG/AIR/11/16/363, signed on behalf of Capt. Musa Nuhu, the Director-General, Civil Aviation by Capt. Ibrahim Dambazau, its Director of Operations Training & Licensing.
It explained that the decision was taken due to safety concerns.
The letter hinted that the apex body in the civil aviation industry in Nigeria suspended Parts A3 and D43 of the Operations Specifications Issued to Max Air 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.
The letter reads : “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.
According to NCAA, the B737 aircraft in the fleet of the airline has had four occurrences in the last two months with the last being on Tuesday, July 11, 2023.
The breakdown of the serious incidents indicated that the airline’s B737-400 with the registration number: 5N-MBD, lost its number one Main Landing Gear (MLG) wheel during the serious incident.
It said the serious incident occurred between take-off at Yola Airport Adamawa State and on landing at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja Nigeria on May 7, 2023.
Also, another B737-300 with the registration number: 5N-MHM had fuel contamination in the main fuel tanks, leading to the Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) shutdown on ground Yola Airport on July 7, 2023.
The regulatory body stated that on July 11, 2023, its B737-400 with the registration number: 5N-MBD had aborted take-off at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA) due to high Exhaust Gas Temperature (EGT) indication.
Besides, its B737-300 aircraft with the registration number: 5N-MHM had an air return back to Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA) due to duct overheat indication in the cockpit on July 11, 2023.
It added : “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”
