The Akwa Ibom State Government has dismissed allegations that it prevented different airline operators from doing enterprise on the state-owned Victor Attah International Airport.
Ibom Air has been the only real airline operator within the state since its inception in 2019, prompting hypothesis that it loved a monopoly.
At a ministerial press briefing at Government House, Uyo, on Monday, the Honorary Special Adviser to Governor Umo Eno on Aviation and Airport Development, Engineer Uwem Ekanem, stated the state had opened up the aviation sector to different airways.
He stated the federal government had begun talks with ValueJet for operations within the state, whereas preparations had been concluded for Air Peace to start flight operations on October 23.
“The speculation that Ibom Air has a monopoly is wrong. We are in talks with ValueJet, and hopefully, it will come in.
“Air Peace, on its part, will commence flight operations at the Victor Attah International Airport on October 23. This will provide other airlines with the opportunity to make inroads into the state’s aviation hub,” he stated.
Meanwhile, the supervising commissioner for the Ministry of Special Duties and Ibom Deep Seaport, Emem Almond Bob, stated an absence of enough funding had delayed the realisation of the Ibom Deep Seaport challenge.
He stated that though Akwa Ibom State had secured the mandatory approvals from the Federal Government, it was nonetheless working to draw traders to allow the challenge to start.
“The feasibility study for the Ibom Deep Seaport has been approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC). What this means is that all the approvals have been secured, but we have been telling Akwa Ibom people that the Ibom Deep Seaport is not a project that can be embarked upon by the Akwa Ibom State Government alone.
“We need investors, and that is why you have been seeing the governor travel to engage with prospective investors. The discussions are ongoing, and we are still engaging investors,” he stated.
