Ibom Air (QI, Uyo) is planning to expand its fleet and launch its first international services, to Equatorial Guinea, "in the next couple of months", deputy governor of Ibom State Moses Ekpo told local media.
As reported by The Sun daily newspaper, Ekpo underlined that Ibom Air, which is owned by Ibom State, is one of the drivers of the state's growth and one of the most successful, professionally managed enterprises in the region.
Ekpo did not provide any further details about the plans to launch international flights but hinted that the carrier would be getting more than one new aircraft in the coming months.
The state government will also shore up the airline's coffers ahead of its relaunch given the NGN4 billion naira (USD11.1 million) in losses it has incurred as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and its ensuing grounding for the past three months.
According to the ch-aviation fleets module, Ibom Air, which launched in mid-2019, currently operates four CRJ900LRs. It connects Uyo with Abidjan and Lagos, as well as the two main Nigerian cities with each other.
Uyo does not currently see any international scheduled services. For its part, the capital of Equatorial Guinea, Malabo, does not see any services to Nigeria, despite being just 140 kilometres from Ibom State.
