Nigeria's Akwa Ibom state hopes to become a major aviation center by putting money into three key areas: competitive, strong airlines; an MRO facility that can service many types of aircraft; and a multi-purpose airport terminal that allows for smooth passenger flow.
According to Ibom Air Chief Operating Officer George Uriesi, the state has made significant investments in aviation over the years, including the establishment of regional airline Ibom Air (QI, Uyo), an MRO facility, and the construction of a new international "smart" terminal building at Uyo. The latter is a game-changer set to inspire plans for creating a connecting hub competing with others in West Africa.
According to him, the airline is modeling its strategy after how ASKY Airlines developed Lomé as a hub. "We hope to build this into a hub in West Africa that has really never been seen before by delivering this service through this game-changing terminal," said the company.
The growth of Ibom Air as a reliable and competitive airline will be aided, however, by a robust hub and MRO. Ibom Air, in Uriesi's opinion, has already established the standard for healthy industry rivalry, emphasizing a strong focus on being well-sourced, a modern fleet of five CRJ900LRs with ten A220-300s on order, on-time performance, and offering a first-rate passenger experience.
You must travel and compete in a highly hostile climate with airlines that have hub terminals and MRO. Here in Uyo, it is the kind of tale that is being told.
"We will create and carry out a business plan, and we believe that if we do that in a very disciplined manner, under very strict corporate governance rules which we have followed from the beginning, there is no reason why we won't be a successful and competitive international-standard African regional airline," he said.
He added that the Akwa Ibom state MRO facility aspires to rank among the top African maintenance hubs, like those of South African Airways in Johannesburg O.R. Tambo, Ethiopian Airlines in Addis Abeba, and EgyptAir in Cairo International. The facility is anticipated to provide maintenance services to a variety of aircraft, eliminating the need for Nigerian carriers to seek repair abroad and possibly luring in business from airlines in West and Central Africa.
#Nigeria #IbomAir
