In a significant development for Ghana’s aviation sector, the Board Chairman of the Ghana Airports Company Limited, Paul Adom-Otchere, has confirmed that the first direct flight from London Gatwick to the Prempeh I International Airport in Kumasi was a chartered flight.
Mr. Adom-Otchere made this disclosure on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen programme on Friday, December 7, following the arrival of Ethiopian Airlines flight ETH8719 in Kumasi.
“It is a chartered flight by GACL, we are using it to demonstrate that indeed you can fly from Gatwick to Kumasi. We will recoup our monies later. Sometimes we do that for religious programmes like Hajj and others” he said.
“We have done it today and it will be done on December 15 and by January, we will know that within three times a week, you can fly from Gatwick or Heathrow to Kumasi. So today’s exercise was to demonstrate yes it is possible,” he stated.
“We are building infrastructure in routes and hope to soon become the second country in West Africa that runs two international Airport after Nigeria. We will recoup the money in subsequent flights. It is not everything you get your money immediately and that is how airlines work like that and once it develops, you can recoup the money,” he stated.
“There was an extensive consultation with relevant stakeholders including Ethiopian Airlines, Ghana’s High Commissioner in London, the UK High Commission and the Transport Ministry in London among others. Also, international engineers had to track and verify the existence of the airport,” he explained.
The charter flight, which marked a milestone in the country’s aviation history, is expected to boost tourism and economic activities in the Ashanti Region.
The Prempeh I International Airport, which has undergone significant upgrades in recent years, is now equipped to handle international flights, providing a convenient travel option for passengers traveling to and from the region.
This development is a testament to the government’s efforts to improve Ghana’s aviation infrastructure and promote economic growth in the regions.
As the country’s aviation sector continues to grow, it is expected that more international flights will be operated to Kumasi and other regional airports, further boosting economic activities and tourism in the regions.
