Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) says the tyre burst experienced by Max Air aircraft at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, is not a strange incident.

“Tyre bursts occur now and then in the industry and have nothing to do with the airline’s safety standards,” AON said in a statement issued Sunday by its vice-president Allen Onyema.

According to the statement, the aircraft took off from Yola Airport and had a tyre burst on landing at the Abuja airport.

The AON condemned “sensational reporting” in the media of the Max Air aircraft having a tyre burst during landing at the airport.

The airline operators are concerned about their global rating.

According to AON, no passenger or crew was hurt in the incident, as all passengers and crew were safely evacuated.

“We thank God almighty for His protection of all on board that aircraft. We, in AON, decry the penchant for sensational reporting anytime such an incident occurs,” the AON statement explained. “Such reports only tend to create unnecessary fears in the minds of the unsuspecting flying public and, as such, counterproductive.”

AON added that Max Air was one of the safest airlines in the world and should not be ridiculed for having a tyre burst that could potentially imperil passengers’ lives.

According to AON, tyre bursts can happen to any aircraft in the world.

“We plead with the flying public to be mindful of the consequences of sensationalising such occurrences in aviation as it may be used by outsiders to affect the county’s rating,” the airline operators explained.

The statement added, “All Nigerian airlines are under a very strict oversight by the NCAA. Hence, no room for unsafe practices by any Nigerian airline.”

It stressed that the tyre burst incident “does not, and will never detract from Max Air’s well-known safety standards.”

(NAN)