An Abuja-bound Max Air flight made an emergency landing on Wednesday after one of its engines caught fire.
The incident occurred barely 10 minutes after the flight departed the Maiduguri airport in Borno state.
Over 70 passengers, including Usman Kadafur, deputy governor of Borno, were on board the Abuja-bound flight.
According to Zagazola Makama, a counter-insurgency publication focused on the Lake Chad region, preliminary reports suggest that one of the aircraft’s engines developed a fault after a bird strike.
The bird strike sparked a fire in the aircraft’s engine. The pilot diverted the aircraft back to the Maiduguri airport.
All passengers and crew members were unhurt.
The airline reportedly dispatched a replacement aircraft to Maiduguri to lift the stranded passengers.
Max Air’s media department did not immediately respond to requests for comments on the incident.
In November, a Lagos-bound Air Peace flight was disrupted by a bird strike shortly before take-off in Abuja.
