Ibom Air ‘disagrees’ with other airlines, to continue operations

Ibom Air, the commercial airline owned by the Akwa Ibom State Government, has rejected the plan by Nigerian airlines to suspend operations from Monday over high cost of aviation fuel and other operational costs.

In a statement Saturday, Ibom Air said while it acknowledged the significantly increased cost of business, it could not in the circumstance agree to halt operations.

Airline operators had on Friday in a letter addressed to the Minister of Aviation, Sadi Sirika, and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority said they will halt operations from Monday, amidst an astronomical increase in aviation fuel.

The letter was signed by Serina Abdulmunaf, president, Airline Operators Association, and jointly signed by the chief executive officers of eight domestic airline operators, including Mfon Udom, CEO, Ibom Air.

However, Ibom Air in its statement on Saturday said its inclusion as a “signatory” to the statement released by the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) must have derived from its active membership of the AON.

The management of Ibom Air explained that it cannot suspend its operations due to its financial obligations to suppliers, financiers and staff, which depend on an uninterrupted flow of revenue to service.

The airline noted that more importantly, is the fact that having been paid by customers in advance for flight bookings, “we are bound by contract to deliver the services already paid for, to avoid exposing the airline to the risk of avoidable litigation.”

Read the airline’s full statement below:

Ibom Airlines Limited (Ibom Air) has been inundated with inquiries about what will happen on Monday 09 May 2022, following the public statement issued by the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) Executive, on Friday 06 May 2022 and it has become necessary for us to make the following clarifications:

1. Ibom Air acknowledges the existential threat that these runaway fuel price increases pose for the air transport industry in Nigeria. We agree that this out-of-control situation is simply unsustainable. However, every airline has its unique business model and pressures. We believe that despite the escalating fuel prices, airlinedp⁰ls volunteering to stop operations would exacerbate an already bad situation.

2. Ibom Air has financial obligations to suppliers, financiers and staff, which depend on an uninterrupted flow of revenue to service. More importantly is the fact that having been paid by customers in advance for flight bookings we are bound by contract to deliver the services already paid for, to avoid exposing the airline to the risk of avoidable litigation.

3. Apart from the above factors, Ibom Air is currently the only airline serving Akwa Ibom State directly and as such, any voluntary stoppage of operations would completely cut off access by air into and out of the State. Such action would be directly in conflict with and detrimental to the interest of our shareholders.

4. In view of the foregoing facts, Ibom Air had respectfully disagreed with the decision of AON to suspend flight operations on Monday 09 May 2022.

Ibom Air cannot in the circumstance volunteer to stop operating and will continue normal operations on Monday 09 May 2022 and beyond. Ibom Air’s inclusion as “signatory” to the statement released by AON must have derived from its active and committed membership of the AON.

5. The above notwithstanding, we identify very strongly with our AON colleagues and will participate in every effort to resolve this frightening situation as soon as possible in the interest of our business, our customers, our stakeholders and our country.

6. We thank our customers for their continued patronage and we thank the AON for our collective efforts to secure a sustainable fuel pricing regime for the airlines.

Signed: Management