Max Air Nigeria
 

Max Air is an Umrah/Hajj airline that operates 1 x B744 and 4 x B743. They've had a reasonably good reputation for the quality of their planes and for paying on time, but those days seem to be gone now. Almost everyone on contract this season (except those that came from the Euro staffing firm) departed Nigeria being owed salary and/or expenses and/or per diem. The amounts ranged from several hundred USD to over 10k USD!

Max Air seems to be following the standard pattern in their segment of the industry - More and more people on the payroll and everyone trying to pull money out wherever/whenever they can. Unfortunately, it always seems to be aircraft maintenance and foreign contract crew unfunded at the end.

Please be very careful in any dealings with these crooks!

I fly into Kano alot and every time I see all these parked 747`s waiting for the next Hadjj mission they are stored in basically sand storm weather in the dry north with dust and harmatan but never any pito probe or port covers are in place.....i find it amazing....

Max Air cheated many guys this past season! They owe me several thousand dollars.

A very senior member of management is having severe mental issues and is no longer capable of any normal interaction with anyone at Max Air. Another manager is losing his battle with alcoholism and is barely functional on the few days he does come to the office. There is no one remaining in management who is willing to address crew money issues.

The list of reasons to avoid Max Air is growing fast:

They no longer pay what they owe.
The condition of the fleet is deteriorating rapidly.
Nigeria is losing its battle with Boko Haram and it is no longer safe to be in the Northern part of the country.
The pay is below market average.
Dishonest, dishonorable and dysfunctional management.
Inept, ineffective and corrupt regulatory oversight.

Max Air
 

An Indonesian Captain was asked where he had done his last PC.He told another captain flying with him that it was done in Hong Kong.But we all know that the classic simulator in Hong Kong was dismantled.

Now it goes to show that the Chief Pilot,Director of Flight operations are ignorant of this or turning a blind eye.Or does the NCAA not know these facts.The NCAA issued validations based on your last PC????The only Classic simulators still in service are in the UK ans USA.

Makes you think,doesnt it,that an accident waiting to happen.!

The NCAA can not be bothered to investigate the near-crash of the final Max Air 743 flight out of Jeddah, so why should they care about a fake p/c?

600+ fatalities on a plane with only 550 seats would not be a problem in Nigeria, if the airline owner had really deep pockets!

RECRUITMENT WARNING!!
 

Another month.....and still no pay! Max Air recently fired the most senior Captain they had. This was due to a pay dispute, of course! It looks like Max Air may have solved all of their regulatory problems with a big pile of cash. It's back to "operations normal," so they will be looking for all new cockpit crews in the next few months.

Let's see what the new NCAA boss makes of the whole mess

Agency Contracts
 

Please be warned that Max Air are trying to recruit all new flight deck crew through European staffing firms. There is a clause in the contract that says the agency does not have to pay crew salary/per diems if the customer does not pay the agency! The reason Max Air is seeking replacements for all former crew is because THEY DID NOT PAY WHAT THEY OWED LAST YEAR! You will be cheated too, regardless of whether you work directly for Max or for a contract agency. Do your homework and avoid this outfit.

You will not be protected by working for an agency! When Max Air doesn't pay the agency, the agency doesn't pay the contractor......just like it says in the contract you will be asked to sign. The other thing to remember is that you will be working for Max Air in Nigeria WITHOUT a work permit. You enter on a "tourist" or "business" visa and are beholden to Max Air to extend the visa. When you end up in a pay dispute Max Air will not offer any help to get you out of the country. You will be "on your own." Max Air handles all the travel arrangements to/from Nigeria. When you have a pay dispute Max Air will not arrange travel for you to return home at the end of your contract. There were crew from last year that had to buy their own travel home. It is very difficult/expensive to travel out of Kano, since most airlines have stopped serving the city due to the increasing level of violence and insecurity.

Sorry to change the subject a bit, but I'm relatively new to nigeria and I'm looking at getting some kind of medical cover including evacuation if needed.
What medical insurance do you have?
Thanks

still curious on the details of this "near accident" by them in Jeddah... anybody?

Max Air Nigeria
 

In response to medical aid and evacuation cover, go for BUPA. Google it. $200 per month. Great cover and linked to private hospitals in Abuja and Lagos

Suggest that the alerts are relayed to IATA.

I don't see that involving IATA will help in any way. There is no way to force the NCAA to do their job ethically. At the end of their token investigation of Max Air no action will be taken against the company. And maybe the NCAA inspection team will all start driving new cars soon thereafter!

"Let's see what the new NCAA boss makes of the whole mess" It looks as though the NCAA may not have a new boss anytime soon. It seems that politics, in the form of the Nigerian aviation "princess," are blocking the appointment of a new DG. Aviation regulation in Nigeria has become a national embarrassment. Ansaru's stated goal of kidnapping and killing foreigners in Nigeria will make it even more difficult to attract quality crewmembers for the upcoming Umrah/Hajj. Max Air was already having a very difficult time recruiting classic captains for what was on offer ($8-9k USD) and the money will be even less this season since there's a contract crew company in the middle now. Who would be foolish enough to live in a hostile environment (with no security at all) for that sort of money? I don't think the 747 command fakers will show up for that offer!

It's a frightening picture, gear_yanker
 

Some even cite tribalism in the princess' appointment of officers to head aviation organizations. Is a tribalistic person the type of material we need to turn things around in Nigerian aviation?

To put things in perspective: Demuren's tenure at NCAA was saluted by Tony Tyler, IATA DG, a guy who has no room for nonsense. But locals know that even that era had its own shenanigans. What better can we expect if a Demuren wasn't perfect? Makes for sober thinking

Yes, it’s scary to think about what’s going to happen in Nigerian aviation in the coming year. A weak, ineffective and corrupt regulatory authority combined with poorly managed, financially distressed airlines. It’s a recipe for disaster! Numerous pilots making fraudulent claims about their qualifications/experience have approached Max Air in years past seeking employment. There was a guy who forged his passport to make him appear to be 55 years instead of 65 years. There were a couple of guys with forged medicals. There are always many F/Os who pretend to be experienced commanders. The long-term Captains at Max Air were always the ones to prevent these frauds/fakers from getting in the door. Unfortunately, all the long-term guys are gone now due to non-payment of salary. It’s going to be a very bad year to do the Hajj from Nigeria!

1. Nigerian President Jonathan declared emergency rule in three northern states yesterday. It is getting really ugly in parts of the country and it is not a good time for any foreigner to be in Nigeria. 2. "There was a guy who forged his passport to make him appear to be 55 years instead of 65 years. There were a couple of guys with forged medicals. There are always many F/Os who pretend to be experienced commanders." Do not forget about the large group of guys that Max Air accepts every year with fake p/c checks. Management is aware that they have fake documents, but the DFO always brings them back because they work for less money and they do not complain.

Interview Gouge
 

a) If a Hausa speaking Indian manager from Max Air calls you "bro" and acts like your long-lost best friend.....KEEP A TIGHT GRIP ON YOUR WALLET AND RUN! You're about to be cheated. b) If the Irish staffing firm believes so strongly that Max Air will pay everything they owe.....ASK THEM TO DROP THE CLAUSE IN YOUR CONTRACT THAT SAYS THEY DON'T HAVE TO PAY YOU IF THEIR CLIENT DOESN'T PAY THEM! Or ask to be paid in advance. That should be good for a laugh.

Phone Interview
 

Don't forget to ask: "What happened to all the long-term guys who were on contract last year?"

Scrappy: http://www.aviationinspector.com/?p=2270

Simon - The link you provided is for a different incident. The tires in Kano were thermally discharged as the result of a heavy weight landing where the captain braked very aggressively in order to use the high speed exit from the runway.....for no apparent reason. All but two of the main wheel tires discharged, but the the company successfully covered up the severity of the incident....not too hard to do when the NCAA doesn't have a clue! The asian captain was one of the guys who came every year with a fake p/c. The near crash mentioned in an earlier post concerned the final flight from Jeddah that departed on 24/11. The severely overloaded plane had a stall warning and aerodynamic buffet very close to the ground and the crew didn't follow the correct recovery procedure. The NCAA has shown no willingness to conduct a proper investigation of this incident!

Rumour from Kano that all of the "fake p/c" guys are now in Burgess Hill trying to pass a legitimate p/c. I wonder how many can pass a real check? I wonder if the NCAA will accept and validate a pilot license from Indonesia with a p/c from the UK?

The recent 747-400 and 747-300 (Africa) ads are on behalf of Max Air. You can send your CV to the Lithuanian agency. Or you can contract with the Irish agency. Or you can work directly for the company. In the end it just doesn't matter how you join! If you are flying a Max Air plane YOU. WILL. BE. CHEATED. OUT. OF. PAY.......Just like everyone from last year. Six month contract? They will lie about this to get you to join, but these clowns will never pay anyone once the Hajj ends!

"I wonder if the NCAA will accept and validate a pilot license from Indonesia with a p/c from the UK?" These are the same NCAA guys who knowingly validated them every year with fake checks! The NCAA workers do what's in their best financial interests, not what is in the best interest of the poor souls who must ride on a 5N registered plane. The only thing that could possibly change their behaviour is the shame that will fall upon them after Max Air kills a plane load of people during the upcoming Umrah and Hajj season. Should this happen, all communications, documents and warnings sent to the NCAA will be released to the international press and the world will decide how well the NCAA has conducted regulatory oversight of an airline under their control.

No classic sim in HKG??
 

Up to middle of last year there was a sim in HKG

"Up to middle of last year there was a sim in HKG" True! And it was run by a reputable company, which means it is possible to tell who was using it at any given time. How many *legitimate* pilot proficiency checks can be accomplished in one two hour block of time? Would you be suspicious if five or more pilots claimed to have a p/c during the same small block of time? Would it set off alarm bells if some pilots claimed to have a p/c in HKG on a day when a different operator (one with whom they have no connection) was using the sim? The NCAA doesn't concern themselves with details like this......as long as all the paperwork has plenty of official-looking stamps on it!!

Max Air
 

Which agency is advertising for Max Air as I would like to fly during the hajj.

"Which agency is advertising for Max Air as I would like to fly during the hajj." EXCELLENT! You are exactly the kind of guy Max Air is looking for. You are willing to go into the middle of a civil war with no security because you want a job. You are willing to risk your life in a poorly maintained plane with fake crew members because you need some money. You are willing to be cheated out of pay because you have nowhere else to go. Please immediately send your license, medical, passport and p/c (fake documents welcomed) to: imafool (at) cheatmenow (dot) aero

max air is using a new agency this year. they must have cheated the irish company out of money...otherwise they would be using the same recruiting company again this year. all new agency? all new cockpit crew? max must be having severe money problems again.

Hajj 2013
 

Max air did not pay crew when the had a full award of pilgrims. How can the new crew expect to be paid when the number of pilgrims has just been reduced by a fifth?

Max - I'm afraid you do not understand. The crews that are joining max air this year are doing so because they have no other job options. I think the new joiners are just hoping to survive and get some of the pay that was promised to them. The company is happy to have this type of crew member because they can subject them to much more abuse. The crews they attract now will accept whatever scraps the company throws at them....with a smile.

Dear gear yanker.
I disagree with your comments. Some of us do it for the opportunuty to broaden our experience in aviation and in life.
Having flown for so called legacy carriers and those where you have to do all yourself....I know what I personally prefer.
I go with an open mind and look forward to the 'experience'.
12,000 hours on the B747 and 20+ years on type....this will be my next adventure.
Unless of course you speak from a position of authority on the matter.
I shall keep you posted.....

Max Air
 

Just got a e mail to let me know that I have to attend sim next month in Burgessshill.Grt news.Will they pay for my ticket??

Virgil, 1. You have the same sort of background (though a bit less 747 experience) as the long-term professionals whom you are replacing. 2. If your time is strictly in the classic then I would suggest that your options for 747 employment anywhere (outside of Max) are nearly nil. Accepting the ONLY classic job available to you and trying to characterize your decision as an “adventure” or something that will “broaden your experience” seems a bit disingenuous to me. 3. If you have 400 experience then you have plenty of superior employment options available today. You could “broaden your experience” and have a far superior “adventure” in Thailand or Indonesia! 4. I do know that your background and experience will make you feel out of place once you arrive at the Tahir. 75% of the Captains who are already there were not hired for their superior flying skills or their experience, but rather for their willingness to accept poor treatment and low pay without complaint. Due to a lack of qualified F/Os, you will likely be assigned to right seat duties whilst babysitting one of the “scary” Captains. This happened to one of your countrymen last year. 5. You will be staying at a “guest palace” that was rejected (due to safety/security concerns) by the professional crews who came before you. Living in a prime target for Boko Haram and Ansaru will surely add to your adventure! Also, the place you will stay is owned and managed by conservatives….no pork or booze available. The food they do offer is really disgusting, but a good case of typhoid or amoebic dysentery will add to the overall “experience” you are seeking. 6. You may be shocked when you learn what the terms and conditions were for the professionals who worked at Max last year. Do you think your contract is raising the bar or lowering the bar? I hope you didn’t accept their first offer! Maybe, since you are only there for the experience and adventure, you refuse to accept any compensation at all?? Please contact me via PM if you have any questions. My former co-workers and I made our experiences public in an effort to protect the profession. We feel it is our duty to inform the 747 flying community about the safety and pay problems we experienced last year. You have been warned, so please don’t whine when bad things happen to you! Good luck, mate!

dear crew747 - during your application process at max air it was discovered that you are the last surviving heir to nigerian royalty. there are billions of naira currently being held in nigerian banks awaiting your claim. in order to process your claims we need to verify your true identity via a rigorous background investigation. we need you to urgently wire $4320 USD in order to start the background investigation. once this is completed you will be wealthy beyond your wildest dreams. please act immediately. the funds held in nigerian banks will be released to the government very soon if not claimed. wire your dollars to naira today! sincerely, naira. p.s. you can feel safe to buy your own ticket to the UK. a nigerian airline would never cheat you. really!

Lucky Guy!!!
 

Hey Naira good one!!!!!....and then I would not have to risk my life flying for Max Air!!

CONGRATULATIONS! The winner of the race to the bottom is.....
 

.....all those crews who paid for their own tickets, hotels and sim checks. You are about to get what you deserve!

i just got email from a friend at the ncaa. he said some high ranking officers at the ncaa are afraid to take action against max air because they are afraid of the indian managers at max. he said corruption is part of the problem but the main problem is fear that the indians will get even with them if they ground max. sad that the nigerians dont run their own country!