Ibom Air, a sustainable reality, or fuss?

Two CRJ900 series aircraft with registration C-FWNK and C-FWNL were on Wednesday, February 20, 2019, unveiled by the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, at the Victor Attah International Airport in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital. The two aircraft, and a third one which is said to have arrived Nigeria but is yet to get to […]

Two CRJ900 series aircraft with registration C-FWNK and C-FWNL were on Wednesday, February 20, 2019, unveiled by the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, at the Victor Attah International Airport in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital.

The two aircraft, and a third one which is said to have arrived Nigeria but is yet to get to Uyo, constitute the newest and modern fleet of airplanes from Canada affirmed to be  only six years old and with a sitting capacity of 90 persons.

The Akwa Ibom State Gvernment intends to expand the Ibom Air fleet with seven additional airplanes with another airbus expected in August, three in 2020 and three more in 2021. So with 10 aircraft by 2021, Ibom Air hopes to grow into an international regional airline.

The launch of the two aircraft and the well-laid out plan for additional ones received wide commendation from the state, especially from lovers and supporters of the administration of Gov. Udom Emmanuel, and across the country.

However, members of the main opposition in the state, the APC, have condemned the achievement as a waste of funds and a calculated plan intended to score a political point, especially as the general elections begin. Notwithstanding that, feelers from the state indicate that the people are proud of the governor with the launch of the airline.

Indeed, the initiator of the airport project, a former Governor, Obong Victor Attah, who the airport is named after, and who is viewed by many as the father of modern day Akwa Ibom, is convinced that the airport will bring economic growth and development to the state.

Attah is particularly delighted that his plan for the airport was becoming a reality through Gov. Udom Emmanuel, especially as Emmanuel’s predecessor did not make much progress with the development of the airport facility other than the routine operational activity of flying and landing planes.

His firm belief in the capability of Gov. Emmanuel to complete the Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility in the airport led the octogenarian to pray for the success of the governor at the polls so that he could complete the project.

He said, “We are thanking God that we have Gov. Udom Emmanuel who has deemed it necessary to carry on the dream that we had several years ago. There was a time that it was believed that successive governments should destroy everything the previous governments had done, but that is not so with Gov. Udom Emmanuel.

“I was accused of running the government as a business, but Udom Emmanuel has come to confirm that he is really going to run the government successfully. You have to run it not only as a business but as a successful business. So this is a start of a business that is supposed to be from 2015 to 2023. My prayer is that nothing may happen to abort that dream.

To affirm that the government of Udom Emmanuel has leveraged on almost four years of his developmental effort so far in the state by advancing tourism and creating jobs with Ibom Air, Senate President, Bukola Saraki, described the feat as a celebration of leadership.

Saraki said the dream of the governor to better the lives of Akwa Ibom people had translated into innovative projects that could only be initiated by a man who understood the need of the people and drew from his knowledge in the private sector to create an investor-friendly environment for investment.

“Today celebrates not just tourism, today is a historic event for the sons and daughters of Akwa Ibom and for what you have done. Today we celebrate leadership; today we celebrate the good things that can come out of Nigeria; today we celebrate the audacity of hope; today we celebrate when a man has a dream for his people and he does not stop until that dream is realized, Saraki said.

While explaining that the decision to launch into an airline business was borne out of the decision of the government to extend the frontiers of development in the state from the land, to the water, to the air, Gov. Udom Emmanuel said the government had successfully managed the airport without support from the Federal Government.

He noted that Akwa Ibom was the only state in the country to run a state-owned international airport that had a Category II runway and owned an airline that became a reality in two years.

He challenged critics to the fact that the airport comfortably landed about 20 airplanes during President Muhammadu Buhari’s visit to the state recently, and that the government would soon launch one of the best terminal buildings in the country.

Gov. Emmanuel further said the airport had not only made travelling outside the state for business easier, the 90-person capacity of the airbus made shuttle faster as the airline would operate routes that would meet the needs of Akwa Ibom people, adding that the 80 per cent indigenous staff strength of the airline and the management team were focused on the fortunes of Akwa Ibom people.

Gov. Emmanuel said, “The launching of Ibom Air I must say is a monumental achievement, not only in Nigeria, but in Africa. Let any man show me one country where a state in Africa has nurtured and brought to fruition the unveiling of a commercially viable airline business that has a vision that will materialise in a very short time within a period of two years, except a state that is named after God on earth, and that is Akwa Abasi Ibom State.

“When we made our blueprint public, we said there are three gateways in which we will launch our economic blueprint of Akwa Ibom State within a short and medium term: air, land and water. All the three we will touch with a remarkable development.

“For the air, today marks a great history for every proud Akwa Ibom son and daughter where in Africa, a state that is known globally, a state that is acknowledged globally, a state that is viable globally, a state that has integrity, a state that has respect, that the world acknowledges, a state that the world can allow to take aircraft so that they can run a commercial airline and that is what we are launching today. “

Ibom Air is billed to run three flights a day: morning, afternoon and evening, but will first concentrate on the Uyo – Abuja and Uyo – Lagos routes; and flights will be dedicated to customers’ satisfaction. It is intended that Ibom Air will drive the economy of the state by boosting passenger traffic in and outside the state.

The Technical Consultant of Ibom Air, Mfon Udom, said, “Ibom Air is part of a larger visitors’ programme of Akwa Ibom State. The governor and economists came up with the dream and we carried it out. Ibom Air is one of the vehicles to drive the economy.

“Economics in all parts of the world is driven by visitors, and for us, Akwa Ibom State is going to benefit immensely from such visitors. Ibom Air is ready with 10 airplanes; they are going to arrive progressively.

He enlightened on the issue that government had no business investing in an airline by explaining that successful airlines across the world like the British and Ethiopian Airways were either run by government or had government inputs, adding that Ibom Air was work in progress that would produce dividends in the long run.

“When government invests in an airline, people say it is not profitable, why would government invest in an airline that would waste money? You will not see the profit of government investment in an airline on the bottom line of profit and loss account. That is not where the profit lies. The profit is the several number of youths being engaged in a technologically advanced industry, and therefore, the government has taken the right step.

“Ibom Air is going to employ about 300 people, but additionally, you will have at least 3,000 people engaged in Ibom Air in one way or the other,” he assured.