By Abiola Olawale
Borno State’s Deputy Governor, Alhaji Umar Usman Kadafur, faced a harrowing experience alongside more than 100 passengers when a Max Air aircraft erupted into flames from one of its engines shortly after taking off from Maiduguri International Airport.
The New Diplomat gathered that the aircraft 10 mins after ascending into the sky, was suddenly engulfed in thick smoke and flames.
According to reports, the incident occurred around 7 p.m. on Wednesday, as the aircraft was heading to Abuja and suffered engine failure due to a bird strike approximately 10 minutes into the flight.
However, the pilot and crew members of the aircraft successfully executed an emergency landing back at Maiduguri Airport and immediately implemented emergency protocols to ensure everyone’s safety, allowing the passengers, including the Deputy Governor, to narrowly escape a potential disaster.
After the emergency landing, passengers were reportedly in a state of panic, with many choosing to retrieve their luggage and return home instead of boarding another flight.
However, Max Air management was said to have quickly arranged for another aircraft from Kano which safely flew all the willing passengers, including the Deputy Governor, to Abuja.
