Akwa Ibom State Governor Umo Eno recently led a delegation of state executives and Ibom Air management to Airbus’s production facility in Mirabel, Canada, for the pre-delivery inspection of the airline’s third Airbus A220-300, ahead of its formal delivery and reception in Akwa Ibom State. Ibom Air is wholly owned by the Akwa Ibom State Government.
The aircraft is the second A220 to be received under Ibom Air’s firm order for ten A220s, placed with Airbus in 2021, and will bring its A220 fleet to three, alongside seven Bombardier CRJ900s serving seven domestic destinations and Accra, Ghana.
The inspection formed part of the aircraft’s formal acceptance process, hosted by Guillaume Chevasson, head of the A220 programme and chief executive of Airbus Canada. Ibom Air chief executive officer George Uriesi said the inspection “brings us one step closer to welcoming this aircraft to Nigeria.”
Eno linked the acquisition to the state’s ARISE Agenda, saying the investment reflects “the State Government’s commitment to the continued growth of Ibom Air as a strategic asset for Akwa Ibom State” and its vision of establishing Akwa Ibom as an aviation hub.
Once the acceptance process is complete, the aircraft will be ferried to Nigeria for formal reception into the Ibom Air fleet before entering commercial service. No delivery date has been confirmed.
