Ibom Air, a commercial Airline owned by the Akwa Ibom State Government, is using its profits for expansion, the Akwa Ibom State Governor, Umo Eno, has said.
Governor Eno stated this on Wednesday while addressing reporters at the Presidential Villa in Abuja shortly after meeting with President Bola Tinubu.
The governor told reporters that he was at the State House to wish the president a happy new year, updated him on events in his state and solicited support for some projects in the state.
He said the president has asked him to submit a memo on his requests and also sought to know about some aviation infrastructure in the state including, the Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO), a facility for repairs of aircraft which was commissioned last year by the state government at the Victor Attah International Airport
“The President is a businessman. He had to also ask, are we making profits running Ibom Air and I told him the government is completely out of the running of Ibom air.
“Ibom Air is making profit and they are ploughing it back for expansion and the airport facility the second taxiway is on. We have the new terminal, we have the MRO and he was pleased to hear that,” Mr Eno told reporters.
The governor also solicited the president’s support for Ibom Deep Seaport, a project which experts said has the capacity to create over 10, 000 job opportunities when completed.
Ibom Air
The four-year-old airline launched its inaugural commercial flight on 7 June 2019 taking off from its hub – Victor Attah International Airport to Lagos Airport.
The airline has recorded significant milestones in the aviation industry within these years garnering several awards including airline of the year for three consecutive years – 2020, 2021 and 2022.
Ibom Air last year received the first of its ten brand new Airbus A220-300 it ordered from the European manufacturer – Airbus.
The new Airbus A220-300 has increased the number of aircrafts in Ibom Air fleets to eight (five Bombardier CR900 and three Airbus A220-300), covering seven destinations and nine routes.
The airline which flies seven domestic routes in October last year launched its maiden West African regional flight to Accra in Ghana.
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