Ibom Air rolls new Airbus 220-300 into operation

After months of waiting, Ibom Air customers yet had a consciousness of the caller Airbus A220-300 craft connected Monday, pursuing its deployment into home operations.

The aircraft, the archetypal of 10 brand-new aeroplanes ordered successful 2021, came into the state successful November past year.

Registered 5N-CDA, the craft debuted connected Flight QI515 from Victor Attah International Airport successful Uyo (QUO) to Murtala Muhammed Airport successful Lagos (LOS).

Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer of the airline, George Uriesi, explained that the craft operations took clip due to the fact that of the rigorous certification process in-country.

Uriesi said: “You cognize it’s a caller aeroplane successful Nigeria. It’s caller for us, caller for the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) was besides auditing this period. The NCAA followed everything to the missive and we are blessed for it also.

“It takes clip to bash that. Eventually, we are ready, convey God we person started today. It volition run betwixt Lagos and Abuja from time (Tuesday) and past the 2nd 1 is connected its way. We expect it to travel successful betwixt May and June. We are looking guardant to a affirmative contiguous future.

“Two caller aeroplanes with a fleet of 5 CRJs and we’d beryllium backmost to wherever we were earlier the 2 A320 bedewed leases, and past we turn from there,” Uriesi said.

Akwa Ibom State Governor, Umo Eno, who was among the 133 passengers onboard the maiden flight, expressed his continued enactment for the state’s tripod aviation ecosystem, calling connected the national authorities to partner.

He said: “My relation is to enactment what they are doing and that is 1 of the reasons wherefore I americium here; to enactment the imaginativeness that has been carved retired which is fantastic.”

Eno added that Uyo is mounting up to beryllium the Aviation hub that would service the West Coast.