Victor Attah International Airport , is an airport serving

Uyo Uyo is the capital city of Akwa Ibom in South South Nigeria. Ibibio is the language spoken in Uyo. It became the capital on September 23, 1987 when Akwa Ibom was created from the former Cross River State. According to the 2006 Nigerian Cens ...

, the capital of

Akwa Ibom State Akwa Ibom State is a state in the South-South geopolitical zone of Nigeria, bordered on the east by Cross River State, on the west by Rivers State and Abia State, and on the south by the Atlantic Ocean. The state takes its name from the Qua Iboe ...

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

. The airport is

southeast The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sepa ...

, and northwest of the river port of Oron. The Akwa Ibom

non-directional beacon A non-directional beacon (NDB) or non-directional radio beacon is a radio beacon which does not include directional information. Radio beacons are radio transmitters at a known location, used as an aviation or marine navigational aid. NDB are i ...

(Ident: AI) and Uyo

VOR-DME In radio navigation, a VOR/DME is a radio beacon that combines a VHF omnidirectional range (VOR) with a distance-measuring equipment (DME). The VOR allows the receiver to measure its bearing to or from the beacon, while the DME provides the sla ...

(Ident: AKW) are located on the field. The first phase of airport construction began in 2006 and was completed in the year 2009. Akwa Ibom Airport opened on September 23, 2009, and the first scheduled passenger service commenced on December 2, 2009, when

Arik Air Arik Air is a Nigerian airline operating mainly from two hubs at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos and Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja. Arik Air's head office is the ''Arik Air Aviation Center'' on the grounds of Mu ...

began offering flights to Abuja and

Lagos Lagos (Nigerian English: ; ) is the largest city in Nigeria and the second most populous city in Africa, with a population of 15.4 million as of 2015 within the city proper. Lagos was the national capital of Nigeria until December 1991 fo ...

. The second construction phase began in the year 2012, and included the completion of a maintenance, repair, and overhaul facility, the construction of an international terminal, and additional taxiways. The airport was renamed after former Governor Obong

Victor Attah Obong Victor Bassey Attah (born 20 November 1938) was Governor of Akwa Ibom State in Nigeria from 29 May 1999 to 29 May 2007. He was a member of the Board of Trustees of the People's Democratic Party (PDP), but has since joined the All Progr ...

by Governor Udom Emmanuel at a Banquet to honor the 80th birthday of Obong Attah on 24 November 2018, the airport which was previously named Akwa Ibom International Airport has now been renamed to

International Airport.

Airlines and destinations

The airport also serves as the hub for CRJ900 operator,

Ibom Air Ibom Air is a Nigerian airline owned by the Akwa Ibom State Government. History The airline commenced operations on June 7 2019 when a Bombardier CRJ900 aircraft marked with the Ibom Air name took off from Victor Attah International Airport ( IA ...

. Ibom Air is a state-owned carrier based at Victor Attah International Airport. The carrier operates regional services to destinations in

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

, using CRJ900

aircraft An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air. It counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engine ...

. The airline is wholly owned and operated by Akwa Ibom State Government.. Ibom air launched its maiden flight on 7 June 2019. The event was graced by the deputy governor, Moses Ekpo in company of other Akwa Ibomites. A Bombardier CRJ 900 Series with registration number 5N-BWM took off by 12pm for the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos. Ibom air took delivery of its first set of aircraft in the form of two Bombardier CRJ-900s. The Akwa Ibom State Government took delivery of the fourth

in the fleet of Ibom Air on 19 May 2020. The Airline then took over two Airbus A220-300s from

Air Sinai Air Sinai ( ar, سيناء للطيران ') was an airline based in Cairo, Egypt. It operated as a 'paper airline' for parent company Egyptair under a wet lease-like agreement to serve flights exclusively between Egypt and Israel. History The ...

with an order for ten more to be delivered directly from Airbus. Ibom air now has seven aircraft in its fleet.

Infrastructure

MRO

Akwa Ibom International airport has a constructed Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul facility capable of handling

aircraft maintenance Aircraft maintenance is the performance of tasks required to ensure the continuing airworthiness of an aircraft or aircraft part, including overhaul, inspection, replacement, defect rectification, and the embodiment of modifications, compliance ...

and overhaul of heavy

commercial aircraft An airliner is a type of aircraft for transporting passengers and air cargo. Such aircraft are most often operated by airlines. Although the definition of an airliner can vary from country to country, an airliner is typically defined as an ai ...

. The facility can conduct the A, B, C and D check. The facility, specifically designed for the Boeing 747, can accommodate two Boeing 747-400 parked juxtaposed, nose-in, fully contained within the building. The facility equipment, arrangement, clearance and supporting workshops allow flexibility for servicing a wide range of commercial aircraft.

Runways

The airport has a 3.6 km runway with designation 03/21.

Operational facilities

The airport has a category 9 aircraft rescue and fire fighting facility, a category II instrument landing system, an air

traffic control Traffic management is a key branch within logistics. It concerns the planning control and purchasing of transport services needed to physically move vehicles (for example aircraft, road vehicles, rolling stock and watercraft) and freight. Traffi ...

tower, a technical and administrative building, emergency operating centre, aviation fuel farm, health clinic, police station,

perimeter A perimeter is a closed path that encompasses, surrounds, or outlines either a two dimensional shape or a one-dimensional length. The perimeter of a circle or an ellipse is called its circumference. Calculating the perimeter has several pr ...

roads and

fencing Fencing is a group of three related combat sports. The three disciplines in modern fencing are the foil, the épée, and the sabre (also ''saber''); winning points are made through the weapon's contact with an opponent. A fourth discipline, ...

Future expansion and plans

Akwa Ibom International airport has plans for expansion. There are plans to build a

cargo terminal A container port or container terminal is a facility where cargo containers are transshipped between different transport vehicles, for onward transportation. The transshipment may be between container ships and land vehicles, for example train ...

with an accompanying apron, a permanent international passenger terminal building, a 3 to 5 star airport hotel capable of handling 2 simultaneous cancelled flights and pilgrims destined for Jerusalem, an aviation training college and other aviation facilities. The permanent terminal will feature facilities for flexible dual use, such that it would serve both domestic and international flights. It will have arrival and departure halls for domestic and

international flight An international flight is a form of commercial flight within civil aviation where the departure and the arrival take place in different countries. Regular international passenger air service began in August 1919 with a flight going from Lond ...

s with the routes split, which will be efficient for both passenger and baggage movement. While departing passengers arrive at an elevated

forecourt Forecourt may refer to: * a courtyard at the front of a building * in racket sports, the front part of the court * the area in a filling station containing the fuel pumps * chamber tomb forecourt This article describes several characteristic arch ...

and move down a ramp to a boarding aircraft, arriving passengers move downwards to baggage reclaim facilities.

Terminals

Terminal 1

Terminal 1 opened in September 2009 to cater to flights at the airport. The terminal has check-in facilities and a ticketing section for departing passengers. It is also equipped with full body scanners and a departure lounge; departing passengers at the lounge can relax at the light restaurant until boarding is announced. The terminal has a baggage reclaim facility for arriving passengers. Passport control and customs are only available for international flights. The terminal serves

, Aero Contractors,

Dana Air Dana Air is a Nigerian airline headquartered in Ikeja and based out of Lagos's Murtala Muhammed International Airport. History Due to technical deficiencies in the aircraft used, the Nigerian Aviation Safety Authority (NCAA) again grounded Dana ...

Air Peace Air Peace is a private Nigerian airline founded in 2013 with its head office in Ikeja, Lagos State, Nigeria, the flag carrier and the largest airline of Nigeria and West Africa. Air Peace, which provides passenger and charter services, serves the ...

and

charter airlines Air charter is the business of renting an entire aircraft (i.e., chartering) as opposed to individual aircraft seats (i.e., purchasing a ticket through a traditional airline). Regulation Charter – also called air taxi or ad hoc – flights ...

such as Sky Airlines, Atlasjet Airlines flying to

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the ...

References

External links

OurAirports - UyoOpenStreetMap - Akwa Ibom
* {{authority control Airports in Nigeria Akwa Ibom State Buildings and structures in Uyo