The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has disclosed that Ibom Air will commence international flight operations in April 2026, as preparations at the Victor Attah International Airport, Uyo, near completion.
Keyamo spoke on Wednesday after inspecting facilities at the airport alongside Akwa Ibom State Governor, Umo Eno, during a meeting with agencies involved in international airport operations.
The minister said the state had gone ahead of schedule in preparing the airport for international flights, expressing satisfaction with the standard of facilities and the level of readiness recorded so far.
“Having heard from all the agencies involved in an international airport ecosystem—they were all here with us—and we held a closed-door meeting, from Customs to Quarantine, the Nigeria Immigration Service, NDLEA, Police, DSS, to NEMA and all aviation agencies.
“From all we have heard, Akwa Ibom State is ahead of the planned schedule. We thought the gaps to be closed would be much, but they are virtually very small gaps. Akwa Ibom State has gone ahead of schedule to a full-blown international airport,” Keyamo said.
He listed facilities inspected to include a newly constructed international terminal and a Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility, which he described as a key requirement for international airport operations.
“This facility we are seeing here is the MRO, which means all international airlines coming here have a facility where they can conduct routine checks before they fly out again. It is one of the standard requirements of any international airport,” he stated.
In his remarks, Governor Eno thanked the minister for what he described as his passion and commitment to ensuring that aviation infrastructure is properly utilised for national economic growth.
The governor also expressed appreciation to President Bola Tinubu for approving the upgrade of the Victor Attah International Airport to international status and for releasing statutory funds for its development.
He further acknowledged the contributions of past leaders in the state, noting that their groundwork made the current level of development possible.