Ibom Air acquires fifth aircraft

Ibom Air, an airline owned and operated by the Akwa Ibom government, has acquired its fifth aircraft.

According to a statement by the management of the airline, the aircraft, a bombardier CRJ900, landed in the country in the early hours of Saturday.

The airline said the new aircraft, with registration number 5N-BXO, arrived Lagos from Calgary, Canada at 5am.

“After delays occasioned by the COVD-19 pandemic, Ibom Air is pleased to finally receive its fifth Bombardier CRJ900 aircraft, the second of the two additional aircraft purchased in December 2019,” the statement read.

“With the arrival of this aircraft, our modern and efficient fleet grows to five aircraft and Ibom Air continues to operate the youngest fleet amongst Nigeria’s airlines. This fleet strategy is in line with our vision to be a world-class African regional airline.”

Ibom Air, which began commercial operations last year, flying Uyo to Abuja and Lagos, extended its route to Calabar, Cross River state.

The airline took delivery of its fourth aircraft on May 5, 2020.

Udom Emmanuel, governor of Akwa Ibom, had earlier promised to expand the fleet of the state-owned airline.

He had said the safety standards of Ibom Air remained unbeaten, and the hygiene regulations is the best.

“We want to really dominate this industry with our services, the quality of our aircraft and the quality and professionalism of our own personnel. We have people to sell; we have services to sell and we have the best of the best of the aircraft to sell,” Emmanuel had said.