With flying to Ghana, United Airlines marks its return to Africa
In July 2012, United Airlines closed its route to Ghana. 4 years later, the American company left Africa for good, stopping its route to Nigeria for lack of profitability.
Its return to South Africa in December 2019 was short-lived with the onset of the pandemic. More seasoned, it returns to the conquest of the African market.
United Airlines will reopen its Washington - Accra route on May 14. The information was confirmed by US Ambassador to Ghana Stephanie S. Sullivan. According to the schedule on its site, the carrier will offer 3 weekly flights (Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays) between the capitals of the United States and Ghana. It will operate this route in a Boeing 787-8 “whose reconfiguration process is underway, with new Polaris and premium plus seats.”
“United Airlines is in the final stages of preparations to begin operations in Ghana,” said the managing director. of the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) on March 23. This statement by Charles Kraikue came on the sidelines of the official presentation of a body scanner and nine explosives and narcotics trace detectors installed at Kotoka International Airport in Accra, and funded by the United States. The carrier hopes to take advantage of the geographic position of the Washington metropolitan area, which has the second largest population of Ghanaians in the United States. As a reminder, the Washington - Accra service of United has been suspended since July 2, 2012, due to its poor financial performance and the price of oil. On September 9, 2020, the carrier announced the reopening of this line "at the end of spring 2021". At the same time, it also plans to relaunch the corridor between Washington and Lagos in Nigeria (closed in 2016), and the inauguration of the one between New York and Johannesburg in South Africa. The first of this line to be operational, will mark the return of the American flagship in Africa. In addition, United will become the 2nd American company to serve Ghana after Delta Airlines, which connects the Ghanaian capital (1 daily flight) by Boeing 767-300 from New York.
