Etim Ekpimah
The Akwa Ibom State government has assigned contractors for construction work for the completion of the Maintenance, Repairs and Overhaul (MRO) facility at the Victor Attah International Airport.
This was made known by the Akwa Ibom State Governor, Mr Udom Emmanuel while unveiling a new Bombardier CRJ900, with registration number 5N-BXO.
The new aircraft is the 5th and latest addition to the fleet of the State-owned airline, Ibom Air, and would be piloted by Ibom Air’s first female pilot, Captain Ruth Adebanwo.
Governor Emmanuel said his administration was committed to making Akwa Ibom an aviation hub for Nigeria and West Africa, adding that while others are battling with the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the people of the state are celebrating expansion in their aviation business.
He explained that the new international terminal building currently under construction, is designed to meet the highest intelligence, smart standard and will match any of the internationally ranked terminals when completed.
He commended the management and staff of Ibom Air for their commitment and show of professionalism, as he announced the assumption of duty of the first female pilot of the airline.
He stated that Ibom Air has already surpassed its customer satisfaction benchmark and now building customer enthusiasm as a stock in trade, adding that many accolades have already been trailing the qualitative customer service o the airline.
“On behalf of the government and people of Akwa Ibom State, including those in the diaspora, we appreciate God and everyone who has contributed in making this possible and we look forward to many more.
“We welcome the latest in our fleet, registration number 5N-BXO, COVID-19 compliant.
“I want to most sincerely register my appreciation to the management team of Ibom Air. They’ve actually made us proud.
“I really want to thank them for their commitment and the professionalism they have displayed to make Ibom Air an airline to beat. It is an airline to beat anytime, anywhere.
“When I came into office as Governor, I inherited just one private aircraft, but I thank God I will not leave office with anything less than eight to nine more aircrafts, so that people can see progress and I’m sure the person that will come after me will not leave office with less than twenty five aircrafts,” he stated.
Earlier in his remarks, the Chairman, Ibom Airport Development Company Limited, Air Commodore Idongesit Nkanga (rtd) commended Governor Udom Emmanuel for developing the aviation sector in the state.
Nkanga stated that the governor has delivered on his promises to the people as captured in his completion agenda.
He said, “We still have MRO, we still have the cargo coming up, and we have the Ibom International Terminal. We have so many things coming up at this airport how else could one define progress; how else could you define governance more than what we are witnessing?
“Today we are going to unveil the 5th in the series of our aircraft”.