Nigeria's Akwa Ibom state aims to establish itself as an aviation hub by investing in three essential components: strong airlines with global competitiveness, a Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) facility capable of servicing various aircraft types, and a multi-purpose airport terminal that facilitates seamless passenger movement, reports Business Day newspaper.
The state has made significant investments in aviation over the years, including establishing regional airline Ibom Air (QI, Uyo); an MRO facility; and constructing a new international "smart" terminal building at Uyo, the latter being a game-changer set to spur plans for creating a connecting hub rivalling others in West Africa, according to Ibom Air Chief Operating Officer George Uriesi. He said the airline is taking its cue from how ASKY Airlines build Lomé into a connecting point. "By providing this service through this game-changing terminal, we expect to build this into a hub in West Africa that really has never been seen before," he told Business Day in an interview.
On the other hand, a strong hub and MRO will support the development of Ibom Air as a solid and competitive airline. According to Uriesi, Ibom Air has already set the pace for healthy competition in the industry, emphasising a strong focus on being well-sourced; a modern fleet of five CRJ900LRs with ten A220-300s on order; on-time performance; and providing a world-class passenger experience.
"You have to go and compete in a very brutal environment with airlines that have hub terminals and MRO. That is the kind of story we are telling right here in Uyo.
"We will develop a business plan and execute it, and we believe that if we do that in a very disciplined manner, under very strong corporate governance rules which we have practised from the beginning, then there is no reason why we won't be a successful and competitive international-standard African regional airline," he said.
Meanwhile, he said, the MRO facility in Akwa Ibom state aims to become one of the leading maintenance centres in Africa, comparable to those of South African Airways in Johannesburg O.R. Tambo, Ethiopian Airlines in Addis Ababa International, and EgyptAir in Cairo International. The facility is expected to offer maintenance services to various airlines, reducing the need for Nigerian carriers to seek maintenance abroad and potentially attracting business from airlines across West and Central Africa.
