By Prince Okafor

Akwa Ibom State government airline has approved N14 billion ($30 million) capital injection for Ibom Air.

This was disclosed by the state’s Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Ini Obong.

The approval is comingagainst the backdrop of the airline’s move to launch regional operations in sevenAfrican countries.

According to Obong, “The Akwa IbomState Executive Council have approved the recapitalisation of Ibom Air to thetune of N14 billion Naira.”

It would be recalled that Ibom Air’s Group Manager Marketing, Annie Essienette, had listed Liberia, Senegal, Gabon,Ghana, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, and Gambia as countries in its regional expansion plan.

She said: “Ibom Air is expected tostart operations to Gambia by April 2023. “Ibom Air is expectingdelivery of its aircraft throughout 2023, the aircraft will be delivered intranches.”

Ibom Air will support its growth and regional expansion with 10 Airbus A220 aircraft, which were orderedat the Dubai Airshow in November 2021. The decision to expand its fleet with Airbus’s A220s followed a one-year testing period where the airline wet-leased two A220s from EgyptAir.