Ibom Air takes delivery of two leased A320s
Ibom Air is boosting its capacity ahead of the peak season. The Akwa State-based carrier took delivery of two Airbus A320-200 aircraft on November 17 and 20.
The two aircraft (MSN 2584, 4273) were acquired under a one-year ACMI contract with Getjet Airlines, a Lithuanian aircraft leasing and charter company. They are owned by US lessor World Star Aviation.
"The wet lease agreement is a stopgap measure undertaken to meet current demands and accommodate growth, pending deliveries of our ten new A220-300s, an order that was confirmed in November 2021 at the Dubai Air Show. With this new capacity, we are delighted to inform our passengers that we have increased our offerings, providing more frequencies for their convenience," commented Ibom Air's Chief Operating Officer, Georges Uriesi.
The airline also confirms that deliveries of the A220-300s will begin in the second quarter of 2023. Ibom Air, which started commercial operations on 7 June 2021, is familiar with the aircraft having operated two of them last year under a lease agreement with EgyptAir.
For this summer season, Ibom Air plans to increase its flights to Lagos and Abuja from its operational hub in Uyo (three flights per day). The new schedules will be effective from 23 November. Its fleet currently comprises five CRJ900s, covering seven destinations. Earlier this year, it said it planned to open its first routes outside Nigeria in the fourth quarter. In its sights are Accra in Ghana and Banjul in The Gambia. In addition to West Africa, it also aims to serve Central Africa (Libreville in Gabon, Douala in Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea and eventually East Africa.
