The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has revealled more details leading to the suspension of Max Air form the country’s airspace.
Politics Nigeria recalls that the NCAA recently suspended domestic operation of Max Air following some safety concerns.
Speaking further on the suspension, the aviation authority said it discovered huge volume of water was discovered in the tank of one of the aircraft which was flying to Maiduguri.
It was learnt that the crew diverted the flight to Yola, Adamawa state when a snag was discovered in the engine as the fuel contamination was said to have affected other components of the aircraft.
Meanwhile, the director-general, Civil Aviation, Captain Musa Nuhu, said the NCAA had dispatched a team of inspectors to Lagos, Abuja and Kano where Max Air aircraft refuelled.
According to Nuhu, any fuel supplier found wanting would be suspended until whatever problem in their supply value chain was resolved.
The DG stated that Max Air may be a victim of the fuel contamination, explaining that the investigation would unravel the source of the contamination.
“On the issue of fuel contamination, we are doing a full investigation. We learnt the aircraft took fuel in Lagos, Kano and Abuja and we are investigating the fuel suppliers to see their fuelling procedures to ensure everything is okay. I expect to get a report very soon,” he said.
Nuhu stated that the NCAA remains committed to the safety of air passengers in Nigeria.
“We are not sleeping. We are doing quite a lot. We are going to issue another AOL (All Operators’ Letter) to remind them (operators) to test quality of fuel before fuelling their aircraft. I want to assure the travelling public that there is no cause for alarm,” he added.
