Ibom Air has categorically rejected suggestions that it exercises a monopoly over Victor Attah International Airport in Uyo, after growing public perception that the Akwa Ibom State-owned carrier has become so dominant on the route that rival airlines are unable to compete there.
The airline is currently the only carrier operating scheduled passenger services to and from Uyo, running a network that includes Uyo–Lagos, Uyo–Abuja and a regional Uyo–Accra service. According to an airline ticketing officer at the General Aviation Terminal in Lagos, Ibom Air was, as of Monday, 31 August 2026, running two daily return flights between Lagos and Uyo. Air Peace previously served the Uyo–Lagos route but last operated it in mid-May 2026, while Dana Air, Arik Air and Aero Contractors have all served the airport at various points in the past.
Ibom Air's Response
In a statement issued Monday, Ibom Air said it holds neither the authority nor the regulatory mandate to bar another carrier from operating into Uyo or any other Nigerian airport. The airline pointed to Section 8(3) of the Civil Aviation Act 2022, which places regulation of civil aviation firmly with the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), arguing that any airline meeting the necessary regulatory and safety requirements is free to fly the route.
The carrier said its own temporary suspensions of service to destinations such as Enugu and Calabar, for scheduled maintenance and other operational reasons, were internal decisions and should not be read as evidence of an attempt to entrench a monopoly. It added that the number of airlines serving any given airport can be shaped by factors including aircraft availability, fuel logistics, airport infrastructure and scheduling, rather than the conduct of a single carrier.
Industry Voices Split on the Cause
Aviation analyst and travel consultant Olumide Ohunayo said it was difficult to establish that Ibom Air was deliberately preventing competitors from operating into Uyo, noting that Nigerian carriers are generally free to fly to any airport once they meet regulatory requirements. He drew a distinction, however, between an airline blocking rivals outright and a dominant operator's frequency and pricing simply making the route commercially unattractive for smaller entrants, suggesting new entrants would need to start with smaller regional aircraft and scale up as they build passenger volumes.
Ohunayo also contrasted the Uyo market with Enugu, where Air Peace and United Nigeria Airlines were already established before Enugu Air, the state-backed carrier there, began operations — unlike Uyo, which he said never had another dominant operator before Ibom Air's rise. A US-based Nigerian pilot, Capt. John Onwochei, separately rejected the idea that any airline could lawfully block a rival from a given hub, calling it a function of competition that other carriers must rise to meet.
Enquiries made to the NCAA on whether any airline has recently sought, and been denied, approval to operate into Uyo remained unanswered at the time of writing. Ibom Air maintains that it welcomes additional competition at the airport, arguing that more carriers would bring passengers greater choice of schedules and fares and strengthen Akwa Ibom's standing as an aviation and economic hub.
