Ibom Air To Expand Fleet With Additional Airbus, June

By Bassey Nkponam
UYO
The State-owned airline – Ibom Air – is set to expand its fleet with an additional Airbus expected to arrive the State, next month.
The governor of Akwa Ibom, Pastor Umo Eno, PhD, who announced this, recently, during the world press conference at the Victor Attah International Airport (VAIA), on his return from the maiden international flight from Accra, Ghana, said Ibom Air was set to expand its fleet to 10 aircraft with the expected arrival of an additional Airbus in June.
To meet the VAIA’s specific demands, Eno said government was committed to training indigenous pilots, engineers, and personnel, recalling that so far, the State has sponsored the training of 20 pilots in Paris, including the co-pilot who manned the return flight from Accra; alongside 20 engineers who were currently working in the airport, and another 10 cadet pilots in training in Ethiopia, as well as three pilots and one engineer in the Aviation School in Zaria.
He said beyond pilots and engineers, the State was going to train others in airport handling, facility management for the cleaning of the airport, and general maintenance.
Eno hinted that no fewer than 10 critical projects were being constructed and completed within the aviation ecosystem, including a second runway, apron expansion, aviation village, perimeter fencing, hospital, and modern security surveillance systems.
He made known that the maiden international flight was not merely ceremonial but a validation and activation of the airport’s international certification, adding that scheduled international operations will commence after the necessary regulatory procedures were completed.
The governor explained that in future, Ibom Air will be listed in the Stock Exchange Market for privatisation, to enable its sustainability, adding that, in few years, when all the dots were connected, with the international conference centre, ARISE Palm Resort, the Mary Slessor Cairn, the Amalgamation House, the Bridge of no return, the International Market and others, come alive, the State will be fully ready to receive the world.
“We cannot succeed in tourism if we don’t have a functional airport whether internationally or locally. Now, we have gone international, and through Akwa Ibom, we can travel to other countries in the sub region without having to go out of Nigeria to overfly Nigeria to get to countries in the sub-region as obtained before. That is one of the things the international flight has stopped immediately.
“Akwa Ibom will become another Kigali. With the international conference centre that is the best in the country yet,  people will begin to have international conferences in Uyo,” he said.
Eno appreciated President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for granting approval for the airport’s designation as an international facility, and the minister of aviation and aerospace development, Festus Keyamo, SAN, for his dedication and strategic support, particularly in coordinating aviation stakeholders and ensuring regulatory compliance leading to the successful take-off of international operations.
He paid glowing tribute to past leaders, Obong Victor Attah, Senator Godswill Akpabio, and Mr Udom Emmanuel, for their respective contributions to the current status of the airport, and appreciated stakeholders in the executive, legislative, and judicial arms of government, as well as the broader aviation community, noting that the milestone recorded, represents a shared accomplishment and a significant turning point in the history of the state.