N1.19bn Upgrade Fails: Runway light outage strands Ibom Air passengers

Passengers were stranded after a runway lighting failure at Uyo airport prevented an Ibom Air aircraft from landing and halted another from taking off, months after N1.19billion upgrade meant to enable night operations.

Passengers scheduled to travel on an Ibom Air flight from Uyo to Lagos on Monday night were left stranded after a runway lighting failure disrupted flight operations at the Victor Attah International Airport.

The airport is home to Ibom Air, a commercial airline owned by the Akwa Ibom State Government.

The incident prevented an inbound Ibom Air aircraft from Lagos from landing and also halted the departure of another flight from Uyo, leaving passengers without immediate assistance late at night.

One of the affected passengers, Olugbenga Sunday, who narrated his experience on Facebook, said the situation occurred around 10 p.m., with no support from the airline.

Mr Sunday is a hotel management consultant, a certified tourism professional, and a chartered mediator, according to his Facebook profile,

“This Flight was canceled, and Ibom Air could not arrange at least a bus to convey us back to Uyo City. We are not even talking about hotel accommodation, which is absolutely necessary too. I see passengers stranded at about 10 p.m.,” he wrote.

Abrupt cancellation, no assistance

Mr Sunday said his return flight had earlier been rescheduled from 5 p.m. to 8:45 p.m., only for passengers to be informed of cancellation after check-in.

“I arrived at the airport, checked in, and instead of us boarding, they casually announced the flight was canceled.

“No damage control. No single provision. No sympathy. Just nothing,” he said.

According to him, the airline attributed the disruption to a technical issue at the destination airport.

“Dump reason; Runway light went off, and our plane could not land.”

He questioned the airline’s customer service standards, asking: “When they set up airline standard operation procedures & service design, what exactly are they doing about customer service?”

Airline clarifies incident

Responding to PREMIUM TIMES enquiry, Ibom Air spokesperson, Anietie Essienette, said the Lagos–Uyo flight was unable to land due to the sudden loss of runway lighting.

“The flight was not canceled. It operated to Uyo. On short finals into Uyo last night, the runway lights went off. The pilots had to snort the landing and go back up to circle for a while to see if the problem could be fixed. Well, it wasn’t fixed within 20 minutes, so they had to head back to Lagos. We wasted so much fuel doing two legs for nothing,” Ms Essienette said.

She added that the cancellation affected passengers scheduled to depart Uyo.

“So why is he saying we canceled? We only canceled for the people who were here in Uyo, waiting to fly to Lagos,” she added.

Her explanation corroborated the passenger’s accounts that the aircraft could not land due to a lack of runway lighting and had to return to Lagos, while the outbound flight from Uyo was subsequently halted.

Passengers blame lack of competition

Several Facebook users, who reacted to the Facebook post, blamed the situation on limited airline options on the Lagos–Uyo route.

“They don do too much now because there is no competition,” a commenter, Mercy Ukpong, wrote.

Another commenter, Funke Tolupe, said, “All this because it is just Ibom air that flies Lagos-Uyo. Their own is just too much.”

Others suggested alternative routes through Port Harcourt or Calabar.

Recurring concerns over service delivery

Some passengers also raised concerns about customer service and operational delays.

“Experienced the same that year, their customer service is nothing to write home about, fly CallyAir next time, it’s cheaper too,” one user wrote.

Helen Michael, who claimed she was on the same flight, described the mid-air disruption:

“My flight got to Uyo, and we were told that there was no light at the airport for the flight to land. They left us hanging in the air for minutes, still nothing, so we had to return to Lagos. Your customer service is not helping at all.”

Background: delayed luggage incident

Mr Sunday’s complaint came days after he reported a separate issue involving delayed luggage on a previous Ibom Air flight to Uyo.

“It’s 3 days without my luggage, some are counting four days. Ibom Air, you can do better. The most annoying part, no call, no e-mail, no text messages from Ibom Air.”

He said passengers had been assured their luggage would arrive within 24 hours.

“You assured all of us that we would receive our luggage within 24 hours. So what really happened?”

He later confirmed via another Facebook post that he had retrieved his luggage from Ibom Air.

“I have finally received my luggage after four days… My bag is intact. Nothing is missing.”

However, he added that the airline had not contacted passengers. “They won’t call you or inform you about it. Just go and collect your luggage,” he said.

Billions spent, yet lighting failure persists

The disruption has raised fresh concerns about infrastructure reliability at the Victor Attah International Airport, which serves as the hub for Ibom Air and is expected to host the airline’s maiden international flight in the coming days.

In July 2025, Akwa Ibom State Governor, Umo Eno, released N1.19 billion for the upgrading of the airport facilities, including airfield lighting and navigational systems.

Three months later, in October 2025, the governor inspected the newly installed lighting and declared the airport ready for night operations.

“Our airport is back. We can now land at night, and Ibom Air can now land at night,” he said.

And in November 2025, the Akwa Ibom State Government secured federal approval for an international status for the airport.

However, about six months later, the failure of the same lighting system to support flight operations has raised questions about the durability and effectiveness of the upgrades.

Government, airport management react

The Akwa Ibom State Commissioner for Information, Aniekan Umanah, said he would seek clarification on the incident.

“We’ve been flying through that airport by night, so if there is an incident like that, I have to find out,” Mr Umanah told PREMIUM TIMES on Tuesday.

“I need to check with the airport management and ascertain whether the claim was a regular flight schedule amendment. There is so much going on in the airport now, trying to link up the new and the old terminals in preparation for the maiden international flight on 2 May,” he added.

When contacted, the airport’s Managing Director, Uwem Ekanem, said he would respond after a meeting but had yet to do so as of the time of filing this report.

Mr Sunday, the aggrieved Ibom Air passenger, said the situation highlights the need for improved customer service and more airline options on the route.

“Thinking aloud, we need additional airlines on the Uyo route.”