<<Print>>

The Ghana Government has granted South Africa Airways (SAA), the Firth Freedom Traffic Right to operate on the Accra-London route.

This means that SAA after satisfying the criteria of the aeronautical agencies of both countries, can fly direct from Accra to London. This was disclosed by Transport Minister Fiifi Kwetey at an event to mark the first anniversary of direct flight of SAA to Washington.

According to him, the request which was made by the airline was granted due to the success it has attained with its direct flight to Washington one year on. "We are confident that just as they have done very well on the current route, once this also goes through we will definitely see quite a lot of exciting opportunities on the Accra-London route as well," Mr Kwetey said.

He added that Ghana has adopted a liberalized aviation policy in the bid to make it an aviation hub in Africa. Since August 2, SAA, the only four-star rated carrier in Africa flies four times a week - Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday - to Washington DC on its A340-600s aircraft. According to Gloria Yirenkyi, the country manager of South Africa Airways, the airline currently has 74 percent market share on the route.

The route in the past year has also seen a 14 percent growth. She added that they might increase their frequency on the Washington route considering the demand. South Africa Airways has already been granted the Firth Freedom Traffic Right to operate from Accra to New York and plans to activate its operations on the route by the end of the year.