State owned Ibom Air on Monday extended flight service to Calabar, a short distance from its operational hub in Uyo.
The airline, which has distinguishing itself in on-time departure and efficient service delivery to travellers, said that it decided to make Calabar its nest destination because of the cultural affinity Cross River has with Akwa Ibom, which owns the airline.
One of the passengers in the airline’s first flight to Calabar was the former governor of the state, Donald Duke and his wife.
Duke who was obviously excited about the flight commended Ibom Air’s decision to extend its operations to Calabar and noted that it would enable travellers to move in and out of Calabar at their convenience.
“What is even more exciting is that it is coming from a sister state. I am always excited when I heard them speak the local dialect in the aircraft. It gives me some nostalgic feelings. Ibom Air is noted for its ability to meet international standards in the industry. It departs in time and does its things the right way. Even though it is new in the industry, it has kept a very high standard. We want to encourage then to maintain those standards and I also want to encourage our people to patronise the flights,” Duke said.
The airline’s Marketing Manager, Mrs. Essienette Aniekan, said besides its affinity with Calabar, what prompts the choice of destination for Ibom Air is where there is need.
Mrs. Essienette who made this known when Ibom Air landed at the Margaret Ekpo International Airport, Calabar said, “We want to position ourselves as regional airline of choice for people travelling in Nigeria that requires safety, reliability and comfort. Our paramount objective is to give anyone travelling with us a different experience. Ours is schedule reliability, on-time departure and superior service,” she said.
On apprehension of passengers over COVID-19 fears, she assured travellers on Ibom Air and explained that the operating aircraft Bombardier, CRJ 900, which is modern equipment, is designed to rejuvenate the air in the aircraft
“Our aircraft is fortified with high efficiency particulate air filters which filters air every two to three minutes; in fact, our aircraft provides the best kind of air you can breathe right now and you can take that to the bank. And when you know we can get you to your destination safely and secure, it would give you the confidence to fly,” Mrs. Aniekan said.
Also speaking at the brief ceremony to mark Ibom Air inaugural flight to Calabar, the airline’s Director of Services, Amaka Echetabu said Ibom Air flight to Calabar is remarkable for the airline because the two sister states have a lot in common.
“This is a big event for us. This is spreading our wings especially in these unprecedented times; so it is a leap in fate and a lot of confidence in what we are doing. And no matter how much the market shrinks or expands, people still need to get from point A to point B. We want to do this for them. Offer them on time departure, schedule reliability and superior service. We want people to feel good and be satisfied when they come to fly with us. We want to treat people very well. So this is what Ibom Air stands for: efficient and satisfying customer service,” she said.
