Max Air confirms no injuries after a tyre burst incident at Kano airport involving 53 passengers, with the runway temporarily closed for inspection
Max Air has officially confirmed a serious incident involving one of its aircraft at Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport late Tuesday night.
The aircraft, registered as 5N-MBD, was carrying 53 passengers when it suffered a tyre burst while attempting to land at the airport.
The incident occurred at approximately 10:57 p.m. as the plane, arriving from Lagos, lost its nose landing gear tyre during the landing process.
Despite the seriousness of the situation, all 53 passengers and crew members disembarked unhurt, with no injuries reported.
In a statement posted on its X handle, Max Air assured the public that its crew members acted professionally to manage the situation and ensure the safe evacuation of everyone on board.
The airline stated, “We wish to inform the public that one of our aircraft experienced an incident upon landing in Kano yesterday.”
Following the incident, the Kano runway was temporarily closed for inspection and clearance, which led to delays in flight operations on Wednesday.
The aircraft was removed from the runway by 04:28 a.m., and the airline confirmed that all operations were resuming after the necessary checks.
“We are grateful to our engineering team for their excellence in handling this situation,” the statement added. “We will keep you informed on the status of flight schedules.”
The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has ordered an immediate thorough inspection of the airport runway to ensure its safety.
Efforts to contact the Nigeria Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) for further details were unsuccessful as calls and messages to their spokesperson went unanswered.
This latest incident follows another close call in December 2024, when a Max Air aircraft caught fire shortly after departing Maiduguri airport, forcing an emergency landing.
In that case, nearly 100 passengers, including Borno state Deputy Governor Usman Kadafur, escaped unharmed.
