Sam Mbakwe International Airport is the first state-government-constructed airport in Nigeria. The Airport was built and commissioned in 1992 and commenced operations in 1994.?The airport was later named after the former governor of Imo State-Chief Sam Mbakwe.
Owerri owns the Sam Mbakwe Airport, located 23km South East of the city in Ngo Okpola Local Government. The Sam Mbakwe Airport provides flight services to Abuja, Lagos, Port Harcourt and Enugu. It receives more than 28 domestic flights weekly. It operates a weekly 2 non-stop flights to 2 cities: Lagos and Abuja.
Sam Mbakwe Airport (QOW or DNIM) is also known as Imo State Airport. The airport serves the commercial city of Onitsha, automobile and manufacturing city of Nnewi (Anambra), the industrial hub of Aba, Umuahia and Arochukwu in Abia State. It also serves part of Akwa Ibom and the Cross River States in the South-South region of Nigeria.
The airport has night landing capabilities, although night flights are restricted to only passenger flights during pilgrimage (Hajj). The airport currently operates a cargo section.
It is controlled by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).
Owerri has a lot of historically and culturally significant landmarks that make?it a hub for tourists including
? Owerri Mall
? Owerri Amusement Park
? Imo Palm Plantation complex
? National Museum, Owerri
? Mbari Cultural and art centre
? Oguta Lake
? Oguta Lake Holiday resort with Golf course, cruise boat services, Golf club etc.
? Nekede Zoo
? Dan Anyiam Stadium
? Maria Assumpta Cathedral
Airlines Operating from Sam Mbakwe Airport
The following airlines operate scheduled domestic flights from Sam Mbakwe Airport to various destinations across Nigeria like Abuja, Lagos, Kaduna, Calabar, Jos, Ibadan, Asaba, Benin City, Kano, Owerri, Uyo, Kano, Port Harcourt, and Kano.
? Aero Contractors
? Air Peace
? Arik Air
? Dana Air
Facilities available for travellers at the Sam Mbakwe 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:?Sam Mbakwe Airport houses banks where arrivals and departures can exchange currency and do all bank transactions. There are unofficial traders of currencies stationed outside the
airport.
WiFi and Internet: Free WiFi is available in the terminal.
Toilets: Unisex toilets are provided in the terminal of the
airport.
Lounge: There is a lounge and lounge facilities located in the terminal of the airport.
Help desks:?There are help desks in the terminal where arrivals and departures can make enquiries.
Flights from Other Locations/Airports to Sam Mbakwe Airport
A large number of scheduled domestic flights are operated from the following airports to Sam Mbakwe Airport. It receives over 250, 000 travellers annually.
The airport receives at least 28 domestic flights weekly from different locations such as:
Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos operates the largest number of domestic flights to Owerri.
Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, Abuja
Ibadan Airport
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
Flights to Owerri from any domestic destinations in Nigeria starts from NGN25000.
The average flight time from any domestic destination to Owerri's Sam Mbakwe Airport is 60 minutes.
Travellers can board flights all year round to Sam Mbakwe Airport in Owerri. Although it experiences rainfall for about 7 months with a short dry season, the weather if relatively calm and conducive.
Other Airports Close to Sam Mbakwe Airport
Uyo Airport, Akwa Ibom
Enugu Airport
Warri Airport
Port Harcourt City Airport
Aero Contractors, Air Peace, Arik Air, Dana Air are airlines operating daily scheduled flights majorly from Lagos and Abuja to Sam Mbakwe Airport.
Flight Schedules by Airlines from Owerri's Sam Mbakwe Airport to Lagos and Abuja
Aero Contractors Owerri to Lagos Flight Schedule
| Monday-Sunday |
Monday-Friday |
Saturday |
Sunday |
| 12:00pm |
4:40pm |
4:30pm |
4:30pm |
Aero Contractors Owerri to Abuja Flight Schedule
| Monday to Friday |
Saturday |
Sunday |
| 8:55am; 4:40am |
9:00am |
8:55am; 5:30pm |
Dana Air Owerri to Lagos flight Schedule
| Monday to Saturday |
Sunday |
| 9:30am |
4:30pm |
Arik Air Flight Schedule
| Owerri to Lagos |
Owerri to Abuja |
| Monday to Sunday |
Monday to Sunday |
| 9:30am |
8:55am |
Moving From Sam Mbakwe Airport to Owerri
Cabs and Taxis are available?outside the Airport to convey passengers to major points in the city. In addition, motorcycles and tricycles move commuters to different destinations within the City. They are ubiquitous around the major bus stops in Owerri.
Taxis: Owerri is 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 Owerri city range from NGN100 to 200 depending on the distance.
Bikes are ubiquitous outside the airport to convey arrivals over short distances in Owerri City. They are faster than taxis as traffic rarely affects their movement.
Arrivals need not worry about language barrier in Owerri city as most of the drivers are courteous and fluently speak English.
Cost of Living in Owerri City
The cost of food and drinks in Owerri is relatively cheap as travellers to the city can get food for 1 in restaurants as low as NGN500 in local restaurants like Nwanyi Anambra, Mimi's Place, Ibari Ogwa and African Chef. 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 Jevinik, Kilimanjaro restaurant inside Owerri mall, and African Chef.
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 Owerri
There are no inbound and outbound international flights in Sam Mbakwe Airport. International departures take place at Abuja?s Nnamdi Azikwe 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 18 hours to destinations like Munich including stop-overs to destinations.
People who like Owerri also like
Enugu: Popularly known as the ?coal city?, it offers visitors a lot in the world of tourism, music, fine dining, hilarious live comedy, sports, nightlife, architecture and numerous festivals. The city has a large number of waterfalls, caves, hills luxury hotels and gardens
.
Calabar: Calabar is known as the ?Canaan City? and is renowned for its tropical monsoon climate, picturesque environment, and calm and cool tempo. Tourists flock to Calabar for the laid-back scenery, the famous Tinapa resort, the international museum, carnivals, and the food. Calabar Carnival remains the best time to visit and have a prime-time experience of the city.
Port Harcourt: It is a vibrant and lovely city in Nigeria. The city boasts ate-night activities, entertainment, exotic, budget and classy hotels, restaurants offering memorable mealtime experiences and scenic drives that make it stand out as one of the best cities to visit in Nigeria. There are abundant fashion designers and modern markets to
shop.
Benin: It is one of the most popular and beautiful cities in Nigeria. It hosts a lot of rich cultural sites, various festivals, art galleries, hotels, architectural sites. The Oba?s Palace, King?s Square, the Benin Moats, and the Igun Street famous for bronze casting and other metal works; Benin City buzzes with energy and tourist attraction.
Other cities of interest visited by tourists are Ibadan, Abuja, Freetown, Yaounde, Lome, Lagos, Amsterdam.
.
