It’s no longer news to all that Ibom Air, an airline owned by the Akwa Ibom State government, though relatively new, has positively impacted the Nigeria’s domestic airline scene positively.
Prior to now, many Nigerians both from within and outside the country’s aviation sector had written off the idea of state governments either running airline business or building an airport in view of the many examples of state governments across the country who only ventured into the business not for genuine reasons but just for political gains.
It’s on record how some of the state governments who had at different points gone into airline business or constructed airports, ended up wasting public funds as they could not continue with such projects.
For obvious reasons, the negative vibes being generated towards state governments running airlines or building airports can be defended in view of the failures of many of them to deliver the dividends inherent in such businesses to their people.
Again, it’s on record how some of such airports in particular ended up being pushed to the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), the agency of federal government responsible for managing airports. While some of the airports facilities installed with public funds have been left to rot away, may be one or two only record one flight in a year.
Generally, nine out of every ten people will always kick against such arrangement of a state government running an airline or building airports as the move usually attracts suspicion that the bottom line is to use the avenue to siphon public funds.
This notion continues until the Akwa Ibom State government right from the previous governments of Obong Victor Attah, Godswill Akpabio and the incumbent governor, Udom Emmanuel came to change the narratives.
Obviously, right from how the state has been able to construct an airport with a gigantic MRO facilities capable of tackling the rigour of having to fly aircraft from Nigeria to other countries by the domestic airlines for maintenance at cut throat foreign exchange, to the ability of the subsequent governments particularly the sitting government to keep the airport running, has only gone to identify the genuineness of the state government.
In other words, a state like Akwa Ibom has greatly proved itself and its government that it can largely venture into business and still handle governance smoothly.
Therefore, while the present Akwa Ibom state government mooted the idea of running an airline for the opening up of the state to the other parts of the world and for the benefits of its citizens, the idea was quickly faulted with many raising questions about the idea.
Subsequently, it was discovered that the economic acumen of the state government officials under the present governor was responsible for the idea of running Ibom Air for the purpose of boosting the economy of the state through an active airport and airline.
Besides the absolute desire of the state government to make aviation business work for the state and the citizens, the government complemented this by going all the hog to put professionals in charge of the airport and the airline which is responsible for the positive growth of the airline.
The different professionals managing the airline including the Chief Operating Officer, Mr George Uriesi, who was at a time the managing director of FAAN have been able to bring their wealth of experience to bear as seen in the aircraft types so far acquired.
Across the aviation sector, Ibom Air stands out just because of its uniqueness as a state-owned carrier as confirmed in its score card for last month of June when out of its scheduled flights of 673 it successfully operated 655 flights and carrying 46, 798 passengers representing 86 percent load factor as made available by the airline’s Group Manager, Marketing and Communication, Annie Essienette.
With the caliber of the professionals running Ibom Air, with the desire of the state government to further open up the state to investors, with the availability of a focused airline and an active airport, the state government may have changed the negative narratives created by the previous bad conducts of some state governments who delved into aviation with little or know knowledge and ended up wasting state funds.
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