British Airways has indicated that it has stepped up engagements with the Government of Ghana over concerns of high cost of operating out of the Kotoka International Airport (KIA)
The move has been influenced by impact of the cost of travel on the London- Accra London route amidst complains by passengers.
Some customers have expressed their displeasure about expensive tickets along the route.
Speaking to Joy Business in an exclusive interview in London, the Chief Officer, Planning and Strategy at British Airways, Neil Alan Chernoff assured that management is engaging all the actors to make sure the issue is addressed.
“If an Airport is expensive to operate in, that cost will definitely be passed onto ticket pricing” he added.
Mr. Chernoff stated that the cost of operating out of the Kotoka International Airport is a concern for many airline operators.
He is of the view that the push for “competitive ticket pricing” or reduction in ticket prices may be difficult to realize if nothing is done.
British Airways might not be alone on this concern, the Country Manager of Air France-KLM, Mees Van Ojik, in a recent interview noted that the development is a major disincentive for Ghana at a time when passenger arrivals have picked up strongly above the Pre-Pandemic levels.
Pick up in passenger arrivals and impact on operation of British Airways
The Deputy Minister of Transport, Alhassan Tampuli has also disclosed that passenger arrivals at the Kotoka International Airport has reached 1.5 million, far higher than what the country was recording during the Pre-Covid Pandemic.
Reacting to this, Mr. Chernoff said Ghana attracts a lot of air passengers due to the country’s position in the industry.
“Ghana in particular, we have seen demand picked up strongly, and we have seen demand come back”, he said.
“Demand has certainly exceeded what we were recording in 2019 and that is impacting on their operations positively on the London – Accra- London route”
He stated that the development has influenced the decision to introduce the largest airline next to the A380, on the London- Accra- London route since 2022.
“The strong demand has obviously impacted on the operations of the Airline and that has also influenced our decision to review our route operations as an Airline”, he said.