Ibom Air Targets Post-Crisis Boom In Nigeria’s Aviation Market
Martin RiversContributor
Aerospace & Defense
Ibom CRJs
Ibom Air, a Nigerian airline launched in 2019,[+]
IBOM AIR

Ibom Air is planning to add another domestic route in the coming weeks as management re-boot efforts to transform Nigeria’s under-exploited civil aviation market.

The start-up carrier began operations in June 2019 with funding from the government of Akwa Ibom, the country’s largest oil-producing state. Its network was grounded during the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, but flights resumed in July and one of two new routes planned before the crisis has already been launched.

Calabar became the airline’s fourth scheduled destination last month, joining capital city Abuja, financial hub Lagos and Uyo, the state capital of Akwa Ibom.

The airline’s next route will connect Lagos with another point in the south of the country, according to chief operating officer George Uriesi. He declined to name the city but ruled out Port Harcourt due to the risk of cannibalizing demand in Uyo.


Other likely candidates – not specified by Uriesi – include Onitsha, Benin, Enugu, Ibadan and Ilorin.

Ibom Air currently deploys a fleet of five 90-seat Bombardier CRJ900 regional jets. Plans to induct another two units have been put on hold until the impact of the Covid-19 crisis is better understood.

“We are busy reviewing our business plan now and waiting to see what kind of traction we get,” Uriesi affirmed. “We intend to grow our fleet of CRJ900s to ten, and we will then change to another, bigger aircraft type. We were going to get to ten in three years, but with Covid-19 only God knows what’s going to happen.”


He said the addition of a larger aircraft type will drive expansion across West Africa and Central Africa – and “maybe up to East Africa eventually” – but that long-haul flying is not in the business plan.

Prior to the diversification of the fleet, Ibom Air will also launch cross-border operations with its existing aircraft.

“We will start with some of the nearby destinations like Accra [in Ghana], like Libreville in Gabon, like Douala in Cameroon,” Uriesi said, referring to outbound services from Lagos and Uyo. “We will do that with the CRJs.”

Longer-term, management envisage Uyo becoming a “semi-hub” that provides one-stop connections from coastal Central African states to Lagos, Abuja and the rest of West Africa. Inbound flows would primarily come from countries with poor connectivity, such as Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Cameroon and São Tomé and Príncipe.

Depressed regional market

West Africa’s civil aviation market never fully recovered from the demise of Air Afrique, the multi-national flag-carrier that dominated air traffic across the sub-region in the second half of the 20th century.

raise the bar in 2018 by establishing a new, state-owned airline – only to abandon the project two months later.

Admitting that corruption and poor management have plagued the sector for years, Uriesi said he wants to show there is another way.

“We are determined to put corporate governance up-front,” he stressed. “Everything is for the airline, and everything is done in the interests of the airline. We are appointing an international auditor to do our annual financial audits and we going to be publishing our books in the newspaper, so we’re not hiding anything.

“We want to prove that this thing can be done properly and done well.”

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.forbes.com/sites/martinrivers/2020/08/04/ibom-air-targets-post-crisis-boom-in-nigerias-skies/amp/

Mynd44, Lalasticlala, seun

So guys where do you guess IbomAir next destination will be??
Let say...... OWERRI

Anywhere that'll generate income for the government to sustain the airline and create more jobs for Akwa ibomites

Blackking98:
Anywhere that'll generate income for the government to sustain the airline and create more jobs for Akwa ibomites

That's the plan...
So guess the next route?

Hunchogee:

That's the plan...
So guess the next route?

I honestly don't know. I'd say Port Harcourt but I don't really know.

Blackking98:

I honestly don't know. I'd say Port Harcourt but I don't really know.

Nop if you read the article, they say PH is out of the question..

Am thinking Enugu..
But is thier airport (enugu) operational?

Ilaumoh:

Nop if you read the article, they say PH is out of the question..

Am thinking Enugu..
But is thier airport (enugu) operational?

That's why I said I don't know because it would have been my first suggestion. Maybe imo or enugu airport

Blackking98:

That's why I said I don't know because it would have been my first suggestion. Maybe imo or enugu airport

I think owerri

Hunchogee:

I think owerri

That would be nice. We need to expand the flight routes. I personally think AKSG should look into training our youths as pilots,flight operator's and other professions within the industry so we'll just be fixing Akwa ibomites into Ibom air and reduce unemployment.

Blackking98:

That would be nice. We need to expand the flight routes. I personally think AKSG should look into training our youths as pilots,flight operator's and other professions within the industry so we'll just be fixing Akwa ibomites into Ibom air and reduce unemployment.

I think they are because the do announcement in ibibio inside the flight...
Udom even say he will open a training school for our citizens

Hunchogee:

I think they are because the do announcement in ibibio inside the flight...
Udom even say he will open a training school for our citizens

That's awesome. I'll surely use them when I'm going to Lagos when Universities resume.

Blackking98:

That's awesome. I'll surely use them when I'm going to Lagos when Universities resume.

Is your right bro

Hunchogee:

Is your right bro

Yes eyen eka

Blackking98:

Yes eyen eka

Yeah

Ilaumoh:

Nop if you read the article, they say PH is out of the question..

Am thinking Enugu..
But is thier airport (enugu) operational?

Enugu not bad too

Hunchogee:

Enugu not bad too

Yes

Kudus to Akwa Ibom State under governor Udom Emmanuel.Nice development under a government with good foresight.Waiting for Ahmed Sarika Air Nigeria that he launched with #2.5B in London that is yet to materialise.

Udom is working #ONLY GOD

Only God

Racoon:
Kudus to Akwa Ibom State under governor Udom Emmanuel.Nice development under a government with good foresight.Waiting for Ahmed Sarika Air Nigeria that he launched with #2.5B in London that is yet to materialise.

Chai you wicked... But 2.5B big ooo