By Dominick Andoh | Update: Maiden London-Kumasi flight to Land on Friday | AviationGhana sources have confirmed that the maiden London (Gatwick) – Kumasi special direct charter flight is now set to depart on Friday, December 6, 2024 and land at the Prempeh I International Airport at about 9 am local time.
According to Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL), the maiden flight will inform subsequent passenger flights to the recently inaugurated airport, which is designed to handle 800,000 passengers per annum.
The Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL) is facilitating the special charter flight, which Ethiopian Airlines will operate using a Boeing 737-800 that can accommodate 154 passengers, with 16 Business and 138 Economy seats. The return flight will depart Prempeh International Airport on December 15, 2024.
The ticket cost has also been drastically reduced from an initial $1,000 to $600 (one-way) and $1,200 (return flight).
Renovated and expanded at a cost of about £66 million, the facility now has two boarding bridges, a road network, a perimeter fence, a substation, and a parking lot, among other things. Despite several enquiries by major international flights about commencing direct service to Kumasi, the capital of Ghana’s Ashanti Region, many are yet to make a decision due to the runway’s limitations.
The current runway pavement is expected to be extended from 1,981 meters to 2,320 meters as part of Phase III of the Kumasi Airport Project, which is expected to cost around £ 58.9 million.
The runway extension will remove any payload restrictions and make it commercially viable for major international airlines such as Ethiopian Airlines, Emirates, Qatar, and British Airways, among others, to consider regular scheduled flights to the airport using wide-body aircraft beyond the currently allowed B737s.
“Kumasi has a market for flights. It has a seasonal market for flights to Europe as well. But it’s not commercially viable given the payload restrictions currently involved. It’s as simple as that,” Sean Mendis, CEO of Seanmendis.com and African aviation specialist, told AviationGhana.
So far, ASKY Airlines has been the main international airline that has flown directly into the Prempeh I International Airport from Morocco and two other African countries on a charter basis, using B737s.
AviationGhana | Update: Maiden London-Kumasi flight to land on Friday.
