The management of Max Air has said that safety is not negotiable in its operations and that the airline would remain committed to safe operation as a cardinal principle.
An executive director of the airline, Mr Shehu Wada made the declaration in a statement on Tuesday.
He said the airline would remain focused on delivering safe and efficient services to Nigerians despite attempts by some unnamed persons he described as “fifth columnists” trying to pull it down.
“What we sell is safety and we pride ourselves by our sincerity and commitment to safe and secure operation which we have guarded jealously from the beginning of our operation,” he said.
Besides, Wada said the airline has unwavering confidence in the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) in its recent audit of the carrier, saying the regulatory authority had done a thorough job.
“We will not allow anybody to drag us back. Our audit is open. We may not be perfect but safety is what we sell.
“We have been in operation over the last one decade without a single accident and that is because we continue to prioritise safety in what we do. We don’t joke with the safety of our passengers and crew,” he added.
He recalled the recent incident in which a huge volume of water was found in the tank of one of the carrier’s aircraft.
He said the anomaly was an isolated case which the airline quickly noticed and decided to ground itself before the NCAA stepped in.
According to him, after the NCAA had given the airline a clean bill of health to restart operations, it was further grounded to enable it close some other identifiable gaps.
As a responsive and responsible regulatory authority, Wada said the NCAA had been thorough in its regulation of airlines.
“The NCAA has certified us and the NCAA would not want anything that would drag it in the mud in the discharge of its operation.
“When we noticed something was wrong, we were the first to announce we were suspending our operation before NCAA waded in and the NCAA came and it was thorough with their findings.
“When the NCAA noticed something was wrong again, they still grounded us until they verified everything.”
In spite of the situation, Wada said the airline’s founder, Mr Dahiru Mangal, would not be discouraged in his patriotism and commitment to contributing to the development of Nigeria through his investments in various sectors of the Nigerian economy.
