‘Queen of Skies,’ Meet Ruth Adebanwo, 1st Indigenous Lady To Fly Brand-New Plane Into Nigeria

The transatlantic delivery flight of brand-new Airbus A220-300 from Airbus’ facility in Mirabel, Canada, straight into Akwa Ibom State.

The skies over Uyo went quiet for a moment on arrival day. Then the roar came. A brand-new Airbus A220-300, gleaming white and blue, touched down at Victor Attah International Airport. At the controls was a woman making history.

Captain Ruth Adeola Adebanwo, Chief Pilot of Ibom Air, had just completed a transatlantic delivery flight from Airbus’ facility in Mirabel, Canada, straight into Akwa Ibom State. With that landing, she etched her name into Nigerian aviation history.

She became the first woman of Nigerian extraction, on record, to fly a brand-new aircraft into Nigeria. Not a leased jet. Not a second-hand plane. A factory-fresh Airbus, flown directly from the manufacturer’s hangar to Nigerian soil.

The journey began in Mirabel, Quebec — Airbus’ main assembly line for the A220 family. Engineers, technicians and airline officials watched as Captain Adebanwo and her crew took charge of the aircraft that had never carried a single passenger.

For any pilot, a delivery flight is a badge of honor. You are entrusted with a multi-million-dollar asset straight from the factory. For a Nigerian woman, it was uncharted territory. Until Captain Adebanwo.

Over several hours and multiple waypoints across the Atlantic, she guided the A220-300 across continents and oceans. Navigation, fuel planning, crew coordination — every decision mattered. There was no room for error with a brand-new aircraft on board.

At Ibom Air, Captain Adebanwo already serves as Chief Pilot. Colleagues describe her as calm, meticulous, and technically brilliant. But this flight was different. This was about representation. About a young girl in Uyo or Lagos seeing herself in the cockpit.

When the aircraft finally rolled to a stop at Victor Attah International Airport, ground staff and aviation officials were waiting. The A220-300 is Ibom Air’s newest addition — quieter, more fuel-efficient, and built to expand the airline’s regional and international reach.

For Akwa Ibom, the moment was double pride. A state-owned airline receiving a new aircraft, and a daughter of Nigeria bringing it home. Governor’s aides, aviation stakeholders and passengers watched as history taxied onto the tarmac.

Captain Ruth Adeola Adebanwo didn’t just deliver an airplane. She delivered a message. That Nigerian women belong in every cockpit, on every route, and at the controls of the future of aviation. From Mirabel to Uyo, she flew more than metal. She flew possibility.

NOP NIGERIA