June 30, 2025

The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) says it has grounded a Rano Air plane after a mid-air engine failure and fire scare.

According to a statement on Monday by the NCAA spokesman Michael Achimugu, the Kano-Sokoto bound flight operated by the airline made an air return following the incident on Sunday, June 29, 2025.

Achimugu said the pilots of the plane marked 5N-BZY reported the incident to air traffic controllers and necessary steps were activated for emergency landing.

Achimugu said, “The Rano aircraft 5N-BZY experienced a failure in its engine.

“Smoke was noticed in the cabin and flight deck. Oxygen masks were donned.

“The appropriate safety protocols were initiated on the ground for landing. Smoke dissipated. Pilot safely landed the aircraft without incident.

“The NCAA Directorate of Airworthiness instructed that the aircraft 5N-BZY remain grounded until the conclusion of investigations.”

“The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, prioritizes safety. The records are clear. More advanced countries have worse air incidents than Nigeria because, here, flights will get cancelled if there is the slightest concern about safety,” he said.

“5N-BYZ is still on the ground with engineers working on it”, he said.