Sam Mbakwe International Cargo Airport , also known as Imo State Airport, serves
Owerri
Owerri ( , ) is the capital city of Imo State in Nigeria, set in the heart of Igboland. It is also the state's largest city, followed by Orlu, Okigwe and Ohaji/Egbema. Owerri consists of three Local Government Areas including Owerri Municipal, ...
, the capital city of
Imo State
Imo State ( ig, Ȯra Imo) is a state in the South-East geopolitical zone of Nigeria, bordered to the north by Anambra State, Rivers State to the west and south, and Abia State to the east. It takes its name from the Imo River which flows al ...
in southeastern
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 ...
. It is located in
Ngor Okpala
Ngor Okpala is a Local Government Area of Imo State
Imo State ( ig, Ȯra Imo) is a state in the South-East geopolitical zone of Nigeria, bordered to the north by Anambra State, Rivers State to the west and south, and Abia State to the east. ...
Local Government Area
A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a State (administrative division), state, province, divi ...
, Imo State.
The building of the airport commenced with the administration of the first civilian governor of the old Imo State (now, Imo, Abia and Southern Ebonyi states), Dee Sam Mbakwe, in 1983 from generous contributions of the indigenes and people of the state and throughout the Igbo land. It is to be noted that while this is the first state owned airport, it is worthy to acknowledge also that it is the first community driven airport project ever known, at least, in the West of Africa. The project also enjoyed an immense support from then successive Federal Military Governments especially under Navy Captain James N. Aneke, who saw to its completion, commissioning and operational commencement in 15th July, 1994 under late General
Sani Abacha
Sani Abacha (20 September 1943 – 8 June 1998) was a Nigerian military officer and politician who ruled as the military head of state of Nigeria from 1993 until his death in 1998. He seized power on 17 November 1993 in the last successful ...
.
Other cities served by the airport are, the commercial city of
Onitsha
Onitsha ( or just ''Ọ̀nị̀chà'') is a city located on the eastern bank of the Niger River, in Anambra State, Nigeria. A metropolitan city, Onitsha is known for its river port and as an economic hub for commerce, industry, and education. I ...
, automobile and manufacturing city of Nnewi in Anambra State, the industrial hub of Aba, Umuahia and Arochukwu in Abia State. Others are Okigwe, Oguta, and Orlu business districts in Imo State. The airport also serves some parts of Akwa Ibom and Cross River States in the South South part of Nigeria.
The airport is named after
Sam Mbakwe, the first civilian governor of Imo State who started the project. As mentioned, it is the first state-government-built airport built from the support and contributions of indigenes of the state and entire Igbo land. Navy Captain James N Aneke who was the military administrator of Imo State from 9th December, 1993 to 22nd August,1996 during the military regime of General completed and commissioned the airport in 15th July, 1994. It was later handed over to FAAN (Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria) to be managed by the federal government.
Facilities
The airport underwent upgrading in 2013-14 that covered its infrastructure and the communication equipment covering the airspace past Port Harcourt Airport as part of the Total Radar Coverage of Nigeria (TRACON) project.
Nigerian Airspace Management Agency - TRACON
/ref>
The airport has night landing capabilities, but for most flights in non-international designated airports, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria restricts night operations except for passenger flights during pilgrimage (Hajj).
Airlines and destinations
Statistics
These data show number of passengers movements into the airport, according to the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria
Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) is a service organization statutorily charged to manage all Commercial Airports in Nigeria and provide service to both passenger and cargo airlines. Generally, to create conditions for the development i ...
's Aviation Sector Summary Reports.
See also
*Transport in Nigeria
Nigeria’s transport network has expanded in recent years to accommodate a growing population. The transport and storage sector was valued at N2.6trn ($6.9bn) in current basic prices in 2020, down from N3trn ($8bn) in 2019, according to the Natio ...
*List of airports in Nigeria
This is a list of airports in Nigeria, grouped by type and sorted by location.
Nigeria has 32 airports, 26 of which are operated by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), and five of which are functional international airports. It also ...
*List of the busiest airports in Africa
This is a list of the busiest airports in Africa, ranked by total passengers per year, which includes arrival, departure and transit passengers.
Evolution in graph
2021 statistics
2020 statistics
2019 statistics
2018 statistics
...
References
External links
OurAirports - OwerriSkyVector - Owerri
{{authority control
Airports in Nigeria
Imo State