Passengers aboard a Max Air flight from Abuja to Katsina on Monday recounted a frightening experience after the aircraft reportedly developed a technical fault shortly after takeoff, forcing the pilot to make an emergency return to Abuja.
Several passengers who spoke about the incident described hearing loud banging sounds from the aircraft before it reportedly lost altitude briefly and struggled to stabilise, causing panic inside the cabin.
A video shared on Facebook by Gwanda Munirat, a media assistant to the Katsina State Governor, showed passengers gathered outside the aircraft after landing back in Abuja.
In the video, Ms Munirat said the aircraft began shaking minutes after takeoff.
“A few minutes after takeoff, the aircraft suddenly started shaking violently and making loud banging noises. It was a very frightening experience, and many of us became scared because it felt like something was seriously wrong,” she said.
According to her, the pilot later announced that the aircraft would return to Abuja due to a technical issue.
“Thankfully, we landed safely and are now back on the ground standing in front of the aircraft,” she added.
She said several passengers, including government officials and other travellers heading to Katsina, were stranded at the airport awaiting further information from the airline.
Another passenger, Obinna Chukwuezie, who also shared his experience on Facebook, described the incident as troubling.
“We boarded a Max Air flight from Abuja to Katsina, and less than 20 minutes into the journey, there was a loud bang and the aircraft suddenly dropped and began struggling to maintain balance,” he wrote.
“A few minutes later, there was another loud bang and I thought we were all gone.”
He said the pilot eventually announced that the aircraft would make an emergency return to Abuja for safety reasons.
Similarly, an X user, Dr Zayyad Lamorde wrote on his page that the incident was his “first near-death experience onboard a Max Air flight.”
“I just had my first near death experience onboard a Max Air flight to Katsina after we heard a loud bang shortly after takeoff from Abuja,” he posted.
“The feeling of being helpless in the uncertainty of living or dying is wild. Alhamdulillah back to Abuja.”
No official statement yet
PREMIUM TIMES reached out to Max Air for comments on the incident, but the airline had not responded as of the time of filing this report.
The Director of Public Affairs and Family Assistance at the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) also told PREMIUM TIMES that the agency was not immediately aware of the development but would make findings and provide updates if necessary.
Recent operational disruption
The incident adds to growing scrutiny over airline operations and technical reliability in Nigeria’s aviation sector amid increasing passenger concerns over delays, disruptions and safety-related incidents.
Earlier on 28 March, Max Air announced a temporary disruption to its Umrah flight operations after one of its aircraft was declared Aircraft on Ground (AOG) due to a technical issue.
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The airline said at the time that the aircraft had been grounded for “necessary technical assessments and corrective actions,” stressing that passenger safety remained its highest priority.
Max Air had also apologised to affected passengers and said arrangements were being made to accommodate travellers on subsequent flights.