Bayelsa set to partner with Ibom Air on commercial flight operations

The Bayelsa government says it has opened partnership discussions with Akwa Ibom state on the use of Ibom Air to commence commercial flight operations at the Bayelsa international airport.

The partnership discussions was held when Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, deputy governor of Bayelsa, led a delegation to Uyo, Akwa Ibom state capital, during the weekend.

The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) had on April 17 approved the commencement of commercial flight operations at the Bayelsa airport.

Ewhrudjakpo said the choice of Ibom Air is due to the proximity and good bilateral relations between the Bayelsa and Akwa Ibom.

He explained that Akwa Ibom has proved itself as a dependable neighbour to Bayelsa in many ways over the years, which must be reciprocated “in the spirit of give and take”.

He also assured residents of Bayelsa that the government is committed to ensure smooth operations at the state airport.

“Basically, we are here to discuss how we can have mutually beneficial partnership with your airline, Ibom Air. And our target is on any of your aircraft that has the capacity of about 50-seater because we don’t want to start too big,” the deputy governor said.

“We believe that if we don’t start anything now, we will have the issues of why did you rush to get the commercial licence. So, we want to see how we can conclude with you and start operations.

“We have decided to choose Ibom Air because those who stay near each other have the tendency of exchanging pleasantries and other good things.

“And so, we decided that instead of going to meet commercial airlines like Orleans and Air Peace and then even the New United airlines, we agreed to start with Akwa Ibom our neighbours to set the ball rolling.

“Our intention is to do two flights for now; a trip to and from Abuja as well as a trip to and from Lagos. These are the mayor cities that our people visit very often for now either for business or for any other purpose.”

Ewhrudjakpo further said Bayelsa has plans to do business with other airlines in the near future.