· Ibom Air, a commercial airline owned by the Akwa Ibom State Government of Nigeria has signed an agreement with Airbus to expand its fleet.
· According to a statement from Annie Essienette, group manager, marketing and communication, Ibom Air, the Airlines will buy 10 A220 to extend its flights to other cities such as Malabo, Douala, Libreville, Kinshasa, Accra, Abidjan, Freetown, Banjul and Dakar.
Ibom Air, a commercial airline owned by the Akwa Ibom State Government of Nigeria has signed an agreement with Airbus to expand its fleet. According to a statement from Annie Essienette, group manager, marketing and communication, Ibom Air, the Airlines will buy 10 A220 to extend its flights to other cities such as Malabo, Douala, Libreville, Kinshasa, Accra, Abidjan, Freetown, Banjul, and Dakar. The deal was signed on the sidelines of the Dubai Air show.
Prior to signing the agreement Ibom Air had used the aircraft on trial for a year. It started by wet-leasing two A220s for a year, to test the suitability of the aircraft for their needs. Once satisfied, within 6 months of this process, the airline was able to decide that the A220 was the right choice for its domestic and regional aspirations.
The airline has an aggressive growth plan to expand its footprint into new domestic routes as well as regional routes covering West and Central Africa in the immediate future. During the first phase it will cover cities like Malabo, Douala, Libreville, Kinshasa, Accra, Abidjan, Freetown, Banjul and Dakar. The airline proposes to expand its flights later to cover the entire continent of Africa.
Ibom Air launched its maiden flight in June 2021 and is ranked as one of the most successful airlines in Nigeria. With the purchase agreement signed, deliveries of the aircraft to Ibom Air will commence in the first quarter of 2023.
