Max Air pilot protest over unpaid entitlements leaves passengers stranded at Maiduguri Airport. Airline calls it a communication gap

Max Air pilot protest triggered panic and disruption at Maiduguri International Airport on Monday, as over 100 passengers were left stranded on the tarmac for hours following a face-off between the airline’s pilots and management over unpaid entitlements.

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The drama unfolded after boarding had been completed and passengers were seated, awaiting departure.

Tension mounted when flight attendants instructed everyone to disembark, citing a sudden refusal by the pilots to fly.

According to a female eyewitness who asked to remain anonymous, the crew revealed the issue stemmed from delayed salary payments and unpaid benefits owed to pilots.

“We had all taken our seats and were waiting to take off when they asked us to disembark,” a passenger named Shola told The PUNCH. “It was very confusing. We were just told to go back into the terminal. No proper explanation at first.”

Passengers reportedly spent several hours in limbo, unaware of the exact cause of the standoff.

The affected flight was eventually cleared for take-off around 2:00 pm, after the dispute was resolved internally.

While tension initially ran high, there was no formal intervention from aviation regulators.

The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) confirmed the situation but classified it as an internal staffing matter.

“This was a wage-related issue between the airline and its crew, and since the flight departed eventually, we consider the matter closed,” said Michael Achimugu, Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at NCAA.

He emphasised that salary disputes fall outside the NCAA’s immediate jurisdiction, unless there is a direct threat to passenger safety or operational compliance.

In a brief statement, Max Air’s Executive Director, Shehu Wada, described the incident as a “communication gap”, saying it had been swiftly addressed by management.

“It is a communication gap issue, and it has been resolved. That is how I can describe it basically,” Wada said.

The incident has raised questions about the working conditions of airline personnel in Nigeria, especially amid a series of recent concerns over operational safety, financial viability, and labour unrest within the aviation sector.

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Though the situation did not escalate into a safety crisis, Monday’s disruption has once again highlighted growing labour tensions in the country’s airline industry.