Ibom Air expands fleet to 10, plans Douala, Libreville, Malabo routes

Ibom Air has received another brand-new Airbus A220-300 directly from the Airbus assembly facility in Mirabel, Canada, taking the Akwa Ibom state-owned airline’s active fleet to 10 aircraft. It is the third A220-300 delivered to the carrier from the facility.

The fleet now consists of seven Bombardier CRJ-900s and three Airbus A220-300s. At a tarmac reception in Uyo, Governor Umo Eno said Ibom Air had carried 4,953,512 passengers on 65,152 scheduled flights. He said the airline was on track to cross five million passengers before the end of September 2026, adding that five of its 10 aircraft had been acquired under his administration.

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With 4,953,512 passengers safely carried across 65,152 scheduled flights to date, Ibom Air is on track to cross the five million passenger landmark before the end of this month. Out of our current 10 aircraft, five were acquired under this administration to ensure our route network keeps pace with regional demand.

Ibom Air currently serves seven domestic destinations and one regional destination, Accra in Ghana. The airline plans to reach 12 destinations and 15 routes by 2027. Its proposed regional expansion includes direct services from Uyo to Douala in Cameroon, Libreville in Gabon and Malabo in Equatorial Guinea, alongside a new domestic connection.

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Infrastructure is only as effective as the professionals who manage it.

Eno linked the aircraft delivery to the state’s 39th anniversary celebrations and stressed the importance of aviation personnel. Of Ibom Air’s 30 pilots, he said, 14 are Akwa Ibom indigenes. Sixteen of its 40 aircraft engineers are also local, while 10 additional pilots are undergoing simulator training in Addis Ababa and 10 aviation specialists are training at NCAT in Zaria.

Ibom Air Chairman Mfon Udom said the new aircraft would restore three daily flights on the Uyo-Lagos and Uyo-Abuja routes, while increasing Lagos-Abuja service to seven daily flights. The state government also rejected claims that it was monopolising Victor Attah International Airport, saying the airport remains open to all commercial operators.

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The arrival of this aircraft allows us to immediately return to our core domestic frequencies, restoring three daily flights on the Uyo, Lagos and Uyo, Abuja routes, and ramping Lagos, Abuja back up to seven daily frequencies.