Margaret Ekpo International Airport – CBQ Calabar, Nigeria

Margaret Ekpo International Airport with the geocode CBQ is a public-use airport in Big Qua Town, Calabar, Nigeria. The airport is named after a Nigerian women’s right activist. Also known as Calabar Airport, it serves Calabar City which is the capital of the Cross River State in the south part of the country. Like the majority of airports in Nigeria, CBQ Airport is owned and operated by Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria. It opened in 1983but in 2017 it was shut down following illegal activities around the premises. Currently, it has resumed operations and offers a few domestic flights.

Best Time to Visit

Although it carries the word International in its name, CBQ airport only flies to and from the capital city of Abuja and Lagos. It has a small but functional passenger terminal that provides spacious seating, ticketing and service areas. Its single runway is asphalt-paved. In the past years, passenger count peaked at almost 190,000 annually. The port city of Calabar is an easy 9-minute drive from the airport.

What to Do & Area Attractions

Travelers coming or going to CBQ- Margaret Ekpo International Airport need not look farther for comfortable and convenient hotels since there are several excellent accommodations nearby like the Jacaranda Suites only 5 minutes away or the Transcorp Hotels Calabar, which is 8 minutes from the airport or the Axari Hotel & Suites, which is a 16-minute ride. All hotels are conveniently located to the city center, making them assessable to local attractions.

The Akwa Ibom Airport (QUO), an airport serving Uyo in Akwa Ibom State in Nigeria is one of the nearest airports to CBQ.