Sam Mbakwe International Cargo Airport, also known as Imo State Airport, serves Owerri, the capital city of Imo State in southeasternNigeria. It is located in Ngor OkpalaLocal Government Area, Imo State. Other cities served by the airport are, the commercial city of Onitsha, automobile and manufacturing city of Nnewi in Anambra State, the industrial hub of Aba, Umuahia and Arochukwu in Abia State. Others are Okigwe, Oguta, and Orlu business districts in Imo State. The airport also serves some parts of Akwa Ibom and Cross River States in the South South part of Nigeria. The airport is named in honor of a former governor and politician-philanthropist, the late Chief Sam Mbakwe of Imo State. It is the first state-government-built airport. The funding of the airport was by contributions and levies paid by Imo indigenes. Navy Commodore Anthony E. Oguguo, who was military governor of Imo State from 1990 to 1992 during the military regime of General Ibrahim Babangida, commissioned the airport. He famously said "I saw money and looked away, it is not everything; we can all do the same and teach it to our children." It was later taken over by the federal government.
Facilities
The airport underwent upgrading in 2013-14 that covered its infrastructure and the communication equipment covering the airspace past Port Harcourt Airport as part of the Total Radar Coverage of Nigeria project. The airport has night landing capabilities, but for most flights in non-international designated airports, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria restricts night operations except forpassenger flights during pilgrimage. The Owerri VOR-DME is located north of the airport. The Owerri non-directional beacon is located south of the airport. Currently the cargo section is undergoing expansion and should be completed by 2016.
These data show number of passengers movements into the airport, according to the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria's Aviation Sector Summary Reports.
