Aviation stakeholders have expressed mixed feelings over the suspension of all Boeing 737 aircrafts in the fleet of Max Airline by Nigeria’s aviation regulatory agency, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).
Reacting to the suspension while interacting with The Tide at the Port Harcourt International Airport, Friday, Chairman of Airport Accredited Car Rentals Association at the airport, Maxwell Iju, said the aviation regulatory agency has just picked out one airline, out of many that are culpable in the misdeed.
“This is the second time in about two months that NCAA has suspended Max Airline, and from my findings, some other airlines are culpable to the misdeed, and nothing has been done against them, which probably might mean that the airline is not in the good book of the NCAA, or that they did not do what others are doing”, he noted.
On his part, a senior protocol officer representing one of the multinational oil companies at the airport, Chima Ibe, in a chat, noted that the NCAA has taken a right decision as the regulatory body, to suspend Max Airline, so that others will learn a lesson.
“The safety of passengers must be a priority in air travels, because there is no packing space in the air space if anything happens, and that is why every effort must be made to proactively stop any perceived danger.
“NCAA has explained that the Max Airline has been involved in the deal of adulterated aviation fuel, and has been operating commercial flights with it, and the issue is the danger and risk it poses to passengers”, he stated.
Meanwhile, the NCAA has commenced an investigation into the activities of marketers of aviation fuel, popularly called JetA1.
This comes after the operations of all Boeing 737 aircraft in the fleet of Max Air were suspended over safety concerns.
The suspension was enforced after some of the airline’s aircrafts were involved in series of incidents, one of which showed the moment water was being drained from one of the airline’s planes while on ground in Yola.
Director-General of NCAA, Musa Nuhu, said in a statement that the agency was investigating fuel marketers and the airline.
“We are investigating the whole thing and we learnt that, that particular aircraft took fuel from Lagos, Kano and Abuja. I expect to get a report as regards the fuelling stations. Any station found wanting will be suspended till all these issues are resolved.
“We are going to be releasing another AOL to the industry to remind them of their responsibility. Flight crew should test fuel before their flight operations.
“If it is Max Air or the fueling companies that are responsible for this, we’d take appropriate actions. We are also investigating the fuel suppliers to make sure that the problem is not with them, Max Air might be a victim of fuel suppliers”, he said.
The suspension was conveyed in a letter with reference number, NCAA/DG/AIR/11/16/363, dated July 12, 2023 and titled, ‘Suspension of Parts A3 and D43 of the Operations Specifications Issued to Max Air with Immediate Effect.

By: Corlins Walter