By Dominick Andoh | Virgin Atlantic to delay Accra launch | Virgin Atlantic plans to delay its return to the Accra, Ghana market until further notice.
Initially planned for May 1, 2025, AviationGhana sources have confirmed that the airline will delay the launch due to challenges with Rolls-Royce engines on the airline’s Boeing fleet, with at least one of Virgin’s Boeing 787 planes unavailable at the moment.
Rolls Royce has been struggling to obtain engine spare parts from its suppliers, critically due to challenges with sourcing specialized electronic components and titanium. This has affected its ability to complete maintenance services on Virgin and other airlines’ B787 fleet as well as meet new demand.
Sean Mendis, an Africa Aviation Specialist and CEO of SeanMendis.com confirmed the challenges with Rolls Royce engine parts and Virgin’s delayed launch to AviationGhana. He noted that: ” It seem Virgin has removed flights from sale now,” a confirmation of the planned delay of its Accra launch.
AviationGhana in September 2024 exclusively revealed that Virgin Atlantic will return to Ghana for the first time since 2013, with daily flights to Kotoka International Airport in the nation’s capital, Accra, from May 2025, using a Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
The airline was expected to provide much needed competition on the London-Accra-London route, currently dominated by British Airways. British Airways maintains a robust offering, with eleven weekly flights to both London Heathrow and London Gatwick.
Ghana & UK update BASA agreement for Virgin’s daily flights
Ghana and the United Kingdom last month amended the Bilateral Air Service Agreement (BASA) to accommodate London-based Virgin Atlantic’s proposed 7x per week fights to and from Accra, Ghana.
Bilateral Air Service Agreements (BASA) are official agreements between countries that enable international commercial flights to operate between their territories. These deals usually specify the number of flights allowed, which airlines can run them, and which airports can be used for these services.
Ghana’s long-standing BASA agreement with the UK included 11 flights for each side (country). British registered and designated airline British Airways already operates 10 of the 11 approved flight frequencies from the UK to Ghana. That left only one slot for Virgin Atlantic to pick up.
With Virgin’s proposed daily service (7x per week), the two countries have now amended the BASA agreement to accommodate Virgin Atlantic.
By Dominick Andoh | AviationGhana |Virgin Atlantic to delay Accra launch
