Akwa Ibom State Government-owned commercial airline, Ibom Air, has won the best airline of the year for the third consecutive year.

The award was announced on Friday by African Travel Quarterly Travelers at an event at the National Museum in Lagos, the airline’s spokesperson, Aniekan Essienettte, said in a statement.

The ceremony was attended by the Minister of Tourism of Nigeria, Lola-Ade John, the Commissioner for Culture and Tourism in Akwa Ibom State, Charles Udo, and other tourism commissioners from other states of the federation.

Receiving the award on behalf of the airline, the Chief Operating Officer, George Uriesi, dedicated it to the customers for their continuous patronage of the airline.

“We are steadfast in our pledge to uphold the highest standards of safety, comfort, and convenience for our passengers,” Mr Uriesi said.

Ibom Air

Although Ibom Air is four years old, having launched its inaugural commercial flight on 7 June 2019 taking off from the Victor Attah International Airport in Uyo to the Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos, the airline has recorded significant milestones in the aviation industry.

Besides winning the best airline of the year for the last three years, Ibom Air, last year, received a safety certification from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), an award that validates the airline’s high operational and safety standards.

Ibom Air last year received the first of its 10 new Airbus A220-300 aircraft, perfecting its plans to expand flight operation to the West African region which it launched last October with a maiden flight to Accra, Ghana.

According to Mrs Essienette, the airline’s chief operating officer has announced plans to elevate the travel experience of passengers by introducing the cutting-edge Airbus A220-300 aircraft.

“This state-of-the-art aircraft will revolutionise standards of comfort, reliability and efficiency in domestic and regional air travel while also stabilizing our schedule to match what our passengers have come to expect from us,” Mr Uriesi said.

To ensure a smooth commencement of international flights, the state government last year commissioned a new terminal building capable of processing over a million passengers a year and Maintenance, Repairs and Overhaul (MRO) facilities for the airline at the Victor Attah International Airport, which is the airline’s hub.

Governor Umo Eno had in January this year told President Bola Tinubu that the airline was making profits and that the government was ploughing it back for expansion, adding that the government was completely out of the running of the airline.

According to the governor, the president, after asking about some aviation infrastructure in the state, asked him to submit a memo on his request for support in critical areas of the state.