Management of Ibom Air has rubbished claims that it exercises monopoly over operations at Victor Attah International Airport or prevents other airlines from operating from the airport.
The clarification comes following reports that the airline dominates market position on the Uyo–Abuja (QUO–ABV) and Uyo–Lagos (QUO–LOS) routes.
In a press statement on Sunday, Ibom Airlines Limited noted that the airline has no “authority, mandate or regulatory power to prevent another airline from operating from Uyo, or from any other airport in Nigeria. The decision to authorize, regulate, suspend, or otherwise permit an airline’s operations rests with the appropriate aviation regulatory authorities.”
The airline backed up its defense with Section 8(3) of the Civil Aviation Act 2022 of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), saying that the Agency is solely responsible for the regulation of civil aviation in Nigeria.
“Therefore, where an airline meets the applicable regulatory and operational requirements and receives the necessary approvals, another airline cannot simply be prevented from operating by Ibom Air”, the statement read in part.
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While responding to the reports, the company noted that although it had sometimes suspended flights, its action was not an attempt to monopolise operations.
“It is important to distinguish between an airline choosing to suspend or adjust its own operations and an airline preventing another carrier from operating.
“For example, Ibom Air has, at various times, temporarily suspended operations to destinations such as Enugu and Calabar to enable mandatory maintenance and other operational requirements on its aircraft.
“Such decisions are internal operational decisions and should not be interpreted as an attempt to create or maintain a monopoly.
“Similarly, operational constraints at an airport, including aircraft availability, fuel logistics, airport infrastructure, scheduling and regulatory requirements, can affect the number or frequency of flights without meaning that one airline is controlling access to the airport.
“Ibom Air welcomes competition. On the contrary, we believe a healthy, competitive aviation environment ultimately benefits passengers.”
It listed advantages of a competitive environment at the airport to include: “More airlines operating from Uyo can mean, more travel options for passengers, greater choice of schedules and fares, increased connectivity for Akwa Ibom and the wider South-South region, greater passenger traffic into the airport, and a stronger aviation ecosystem and destination economy.”
“As the home-based carrier, Ibom Air is proud to operate from Uyo, but being the home-based carrier does not confer ownership or control of the airport, nor does it give Ibom Air the power to determine which other airlines may operate there.”
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