Calabar Airport

Calabar Airport, also known as Margaret Ekpo International Airport (IATA: CBQ; ICAO: DNCA) serves Calabar, the capital of Cross River State in Nigeria. It is located along New Ikang Road, Cross River State. The airport was renamed after one of Nigeria?s fiercest defender of women?s Rights and social mobilizer-Chief Mrs Margaret Ekpo, a native of Cross River State. Margaret Ekpo International Airport is located in Calabar, a charming and peaceful city that served as one of the old trading centres in Nigeria. The airport is administered by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN). FAAN rated it as one of the Best Domestic Airports in Nigeria. Calabar city has a lot of historical and cultural landmarks that makes it a hub for tourism such as The Calabar International Museum Duke Town Church A botanical garden replete with different species of flora A Free Trade Zone/Port University of Calabar The slave history park Amusement parks Resorts: The Marina and Tinapa Resort Drill Monkey Rehab Centre The sports stadium Calabar is also home to the first social club in Nigeria, named the Africa club and the first secondary School in Eastern Nigeria established in 1895. Cross River State hosts an annual Christmas Festival which attracts thousands from within and outside Nigeria. Calabar Carnival, boat regatta, fashions shows, traditional dances, the Ekpe festival are other annual events hosted by Calabar. Airlines operating from Margaret Ekpo International Airport There are a handful of Airlines operating scheduled and charter flights from Calabar?s Margaret Ekpo International Airport to several domestic destinations in Nigeria. Aero Contractors Air Peace Arik Air Associated Aviation Overland Airways

Facilities available for travellers at the Margaret Ekpo International Airport

? Restaurants: There are restaurants where travellers can eat and relax while waiting for their flight. Drinks and snacks are also available at the airport. ? Bureaux de change: Margaret Ekpo Airport houses banks where arrivals and departures can exchange currency and do all bank transactions. ? WiFi and Internet: Free WiFi is available in the terminal. ? Toilets: Unisex toilets are provided in the terminal of the airport. ? Lounge: There are lounges and lounge facilities located in the terminal of the airport. ? Helpdesks  

Flights from Other locations/Airports to Margaret Ekpo International Airport

A large number of scheduled domestic flights are operated from the following airports to Margaret Ekpo International Airport. It receives over 200, 000 travellers annually. The airport receives at least 21 domestic flights weekly from different locations such as: Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos operates the largest number of domestic flights to Calabar. Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, Abuja Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu Port Harcourt City Airport Sadiq Abubakar III International Airport, Sokoto Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano Akure Airport Asaba International Airport Travellers can board flights all year round to Margaret Ekpo International Airport in Calabar, although it has a lengthy 10 months of rainy season and a short 2 months dry season. The weather conditions are relatively stable and conducive. Local flights to Calabar airport from any Nigerian domestic airports usually takes an average of 1 hour. The flight fare to Calabar starts from 25000 Naira depending on booking, flight provider and departure city. Other Airports close to Margaret Ekpo International Airport, Calabar Uyo Airport, Akwa Ibom (28km) Enugu Airport (188km) Owerri Airport (134km) Warri Airport (288km) Port Harcourt City Airport (154km) Airlines such as Aero Contractors, Air Peace, Overland airport, Virgin Nigerian Airways and Arik Air operate daily scheduled flights majorly from Lagos and Abuja to the airport. Air Peace has a regular flight Schedule from Lagos to Calabar is by 9:00 am and Abuja to Calabar by 4:00 pm. It's Calabar to Lagos trip is by 10:40 am while 1:10 pm is the time for the Calabar to Abuja flight. Private Jet Charter for business or leisure is available in Margaret Ekpo International Airport with Learjet ready to provide assistance. Deutsche-privatjet also offers an invasive air ambulance flights. Apart from air ambulance, passenger flights and private jet charter, there are also cargo jets used for cargo services.

Moving from Margaret Ekpo International Airport to Calabar

Car Hire: There are several companies offering car hire services in Calabar. They have head offices at the Margaret Ekpo International Airport. The cars transport arrivals to the nearest hotels and major points in the city of Calabar. Taxis: Calabar has been reconstructed into a pedestrian-friendly city but taxis are the safest means of moving into the city from the airport. The taxi can be found outside the airport or hailed directly by the roadside. Taxi costs in Calabar city range from NGN100 to 200 depending on the distance. Bikes?are ubiquitous outside the airport to convey arrivals over short distances in Calabar City. They are faster than taxis as traffic rarely affect their movement. Arrivals need not worry about language barrier in Calabar city as most of the drivers are courteous and fluently speak English. In addition, there are special blue taxis available only for women, children and families. Buses: The Metro Blue buses were introduced by the government and go round the whole city of Calabar. They are also cheap and easy to board within the metropolis of the city. The Watt Market in Calabar is a popular shopping destination where you can get great bargains on varied items like jeans, shoes, clothes and bags. Make sure to take a local person along to get a good bargain in the market.

Cost of Living in Calabar City

The cost of food and drinks in Calabar city is relatively cheap as travellers to the city can get food for 1 in restaurants as low as NGN500. There are also restaurants serving dishes from other parts of the Nigeria costing as low as NGN500. The soft drinks, alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks are sold at prices ranging from NGN150 to NGN500. The cost of eating international dishes starts from 3000 Naira in modern restaurants like Happy Food, Tinapa Lakeside Restaurant, Chillis Caf?, and Freddy?s.

Flights within the Various Airports in Nigeria

Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos operates the highest number of domestic flights to major destinations within Nigeria. Local flights from Abuja, Port Harcourt, Uyo, Warri, Asaba, Akure, Kano, Enugu, Calabar, Benin City, Jos, Kaduna, and Ilorin also land at the Margaret Ekpo International Airport, Calabar. Flight fares from different cities of Nigeria into Calabar starts from NGN25000 depending on booking time and departure city. It takes about 1 hour to fly between domestic cities in Nigeria.

International Flights to and From Calabar

There are no inbound and outbound international flights in Margaret Ekpo International Airport. International departures take place at Abuja?s Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport and Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos. Passengers can board a connecting local flight to Abuja or Lagos to board International Airlines such as Turkish Airlines, Emirates Airlines, Lufthansa, Africa World Airlines, Delta Airlines, and Etihad Airlines. International flight fare to Dubai, Paris, Munich, Frankfurt, London, New York, and Qatar starts from NGN300000. These international flights start from 7 hours and may take as long as 12 hours to destinations like Munich.

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