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Ibom Air

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NDDC, Ibom Air Seal Pact to Boost Regional Aviation Hub Prospects

by Folarin Kehinde
written by Folarin Kehinde

Partnership between the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and the Ibom Air of Akwa Ibom State may lead to emergence of a regional aviation power in the Niger Delta.

It could help to boost the aircraft fleet in Ibom Air and maybe other emerging airlines in the oil region and help air patronage in travel and hire services, thus creating a strong hub in aviation in the region like in Lagos.

This as Samuel Ogbuku, managing director of the NDDC, has urged fleeing businesses and investments to head back to the oil region. He has also called on indigenes of the region to think of investing in the region first, regretting that the trend on ground is investing outside the region.

On collaboration, the NDDC re-emphasised the importance of strategic collaborations through the Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) arrangement to drive sustainable development in the Niger Delta region.

Ogbuku stated this during a meeting with the management of Ibom Air led by George Uriesi, the Chief Executive Officer, at their headquarters in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.

Ogbuku led a delegation that included Victor Antai, the Executive Director (Projects), Ifedayo Abegunde, Executive Director (Corporate Services), Abasiandikan Nkono, the Akwa Ibom State Representative on the NDDC board, and other directors of the Commission.

The NDDC boss observed that the engagement was part of the Commission’s ongoing commitment to strengthening PPPs that pave the way for landmark infrastructure projects and boost investor confidence.

He stressed that collaboration would expedite the growth and development of the Niger Delta region, noting that the NDDC was partnering with the Delta State Government and Chevron Nigeria Limited on the 70.75 km Omadino-Okerenkoko-Escravos Road and bridges in the Warri North Local Government Area of Delta State.

Ogbuku recalled that the partnership between the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited and the NDDC facilitated the construction of the 25.7 km Ogbia-Nembe Road.

He added that the Commission was currently collaborating with the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) on the construction of the Okrika-Borikiri Road and bridges project, the Kaa-Ataba Road and Bridge, and the Bonny Ring Road

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Passenger dies mid-flight in Ibom Air plane

by Folarin Kehinde
written by Folarin Kehinde

A tragic death of a male passenger occurred on Sunday aboard an Ibom Air flight from Lagos to Abuja.

The incident has brought to fore concerns about in-flight medical emergencies in Nigeria.

According to a report by CKN News, the passenger took ill barely 20 minutes after take-off.

Crew members attempted to administer first aid before the pilot radioed the control tower at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, to declare a medical emergency.

Due to heavy air traffic at the airport, the flight was eventually cleared to land at the Presidential Wing, where ambulances and medical personnel were on standby.

However, despite the immediate response, attempts to revive the passenger on arrival were unsuccessful.

The death, which has since stirred reactions on social media, has raised fresh concerns about the preparedness of Ibom Air and other airlines to manage medical crises in the air.

Passengers on commercial flights are often vulnerable when sudden health complications occur at altitude, making crew readiness and on-board medical supplies crucial.

As of Sunday night, neither Ibom Air nor the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) had issued an official statement confirming the death or providing further details.

The identity of the deceased passenger and the exact cause of death remained unclear as of press time.

 

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Ibom Air: I can’t face my real estate business clients – Emmanson cries out

by Folarin Kehinde
written by Folarin Kehinde

Comfort Emmanson, the passenger at the centre of the altercation with Ibom Air crew members, has said the incident has left her traumatised and ruined her reputation.

In a video shared on her Instagram story on Sunday, Emmanson recounted that she was stopped from leaving the aircraft after the Lagos-bound flight landed on August 10, 2025.

She alleged that the flight attendant who earlier insisted she switch off her mobile phones dragged her back into the plane, tore at her hair, clothes and jewellery, and broke her phones.

She said she was then stripped partially naked as other staff and bystanders recorded her while mocking her.

According to her, being exposed in such a manner and seeing the videos shared online have caused her deep emotional pain.

She lamented that the recordings have been turned into social media content and WhatsApp stickers, leaving her too ashamed to face clients in her real estate business.

She partly said, “Going out of the aircraft, this lady Juliana stopped me. I asked her, why did you stop me? Why are you stopping me from going out of the aircraft? Everybody had left so I needed to go out. She didn’t say anything to me, she was just staring at me with the same bad eye. That was when I remembered that this was the same person instructing me to put off my phone. That was when I started recording and then she backed the person facing me and I told her to let me pass but she didn’t answer me, she ignored me.

“When she noticed I was making a video, she now pulled me back inside the aircraft and dragged my frontal, dragged my gold from my neck, my clothes, and my phones. The phone broke. The pain of doing that to me was when I went to poke her.”

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Aviation Fuel Hike: Ibom Air cancelled 58 flights in one month

by Folarin Kehinde
written by Folarin Kehinde

With over 1,023 scheduled flights for the month of June, 2022, Ibom Air, stated that 58 flights were cancelled due to non-availability of Aviation Kerosene, popularly known as Jet A1.

Ibom Air, a limited liability company wholly owned by the Akwa Ibom state government, currently operates seven aircraft, with a further 10 to be added by May 2023 to cater for African routes.

The company in its scorecard report for June, noted that it was able to operate only 965 flights of the total flight scheduled during the period. While 199 flights were delayed beyond 15 minutes due to some logistic challenges, 234 flights were rescheduled during the period.

The report noted that the company recorded 71 percent schedule reliability, and 79 percent on time performance in the month of June.

The company also noted that fuel availability was a major impediment to schedule reliability and on time performance in June which led to the rescheduling and cancelling of flights.

But an authoritative source had told Vanguard that out of the seven aircraft available to the company, only two are functional, the remaining five are under maintenance.

In a swift reaction, the company stated that, “It is not true. We have a couple of aircraft out for maintenance and anticipate that we will be back to our usual schedule by mid-week.”

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