Following a Max Air aircraft’s tyre rupture during Tuesday night’s landing, the runway at Malam Aminu Kano International Airport has been temporarily closed for inspection and clearance.
Despite the fact that all 53 passengers and staff members were safely evacuated without suffering any injuries, the event caused flight disruptions.
On X account on Wednesday morning, Max Air verified the incident, saying, “As a result, the Kano runway will remain temporarily closed for inspection and clearance, which may lead to delays in flight operations today, Wednesday, 29/01/2024. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused and appreciate your patience as we await further updates on the runway reopening.”
The public was given professional assurances by the airline, which emphasized that the crew made sure everyone on board was safely evacuated. It was 4:28 a.m. when the plane was successfully taken off the runway.
Max Air pledged to promptly deliver flight schedule changes and praised its engineering team for their prompt response.
The impacted flight, identified as VM1605 with registration number 5N-MBD, was confirmed by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) on its official X account.
The NCAA claims that, “The pilot, cabin crew, and all 53 passengers were safely disembarked with no injuries recorded. The aircraft has been removed from the runway to Taxiway B.”
The Nigerian Safety inquiry Bureau (NSIB) is in charge of the inquiry, the agency added, and a comprehensive runway inspection would be carried out prior to reopening.
The mishap, which happened at 10:57 p.m. on Tuesday, may have impacted the aircraft’s nose landing gear tire, according to sources.