We have no plans to fly outside Africa — Ibom Air

Ibom Air, the Akwa Ibom State Government-owned airline, has said that it has no plans to fly outside Africa. The airline's Chief Operating Officer, George Uriesi, made this disclosure in an interview with the Vanguard newspaper on September 17, 2023. Uriesi said that Ibom Air was focused on becoming a leading regional airline in Africa and that it had no plans to expand outside the continent for now. He said that the airline was planning to increase its fleet size from 8 to 40 aircraft in the next 20 years and that it was also planning to build a world-class African regional airline maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility. Ibom Air was founded in 2019 and it currently operates a fleet of 8 Bombardier CRJ900 aircraft. The airline flies to 6 domestic destinations in Nigeria: Uyo, Abuja, Calabar, Enugu, Lagos, and Port Harcourt. Ibom Air has been praised for its excellent customer service and its on-time performance. The airline has also been credited with helping to reduce the cost of air travel in Nigeria. Ibom Air's decision to focus on Africa is in line with the growing trend of African airlines expanding their operations within the continent. In recent years, there has been a significant increase in the number of intra-African flights. This is due to a number of factors, including the growing economies of African countries, the increasing urbanization of African cities, and the liberalization of the African aviation market. Ibom Air's focus on Africa is also in line with the African Union's Agenda 2063, which aims to create a single African air transport market by 2063. The African Union believes that a single African air transport market will boost intra-African trade and tourism and will help to create jobs and economic growth.