Aviation This Week – May Edition 2

In this edition, summaries of topical activities involving players in Ghana’s commercial aviation space between May 10 – 15, 2021 are highlighted as follows:

AWA Increases Flight Frequency to Lagos

Africa World Airlines has increased its flight frequency between Lagos and Accra to three daily flights. Flight schedules for Lagos-bound flights are 6:45 AM, 11:20 AM, and 6:10 PM, local time. Accra-bound flights are scheduled as follows: 9:15 AM, 1:50 PM, and 8:40PM, local time.

PassionAir Debuts New Uniform

Domestic airline operator, PassionAir has debuted a new uniform for its flight and cabin crew. The uniform which was outdoored on May 11, 2021, has a strong touch of the local Kente design which gives the airline a new image.

SAA Hoping to Restart Operations before September 2021

South African Airways (SAA) says it is aiming to restart its operations between July and August this year after exiting a business rescue plan late last month. According to the Chief Executive Officer of the airline, SAA is trying to resolve issues it has with its pilots and also monitor the COVID-19 pandemic before setting a specific date.

The airline has suspended operations since September 2020.

United Restarts Commercial Operations in Ghana

United Airlines has resumed its flight operations between Accra and Washington with 3 weekly flights starting May 14, 2021. The route which was suspended by the airline in 2012 will now be serviced on Sundays, Wednesdays, and Fridays for passengers departing Washington to Accra and on Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays for passengers departing from Accra. The Accra-bound flight will depart at 6:05 PM from Washington and arrive at 8:40 AM (+1day). Washington-bound flights will depart Accra at 11:45 PM and arrive at 6:35 AM (+1day).

British Airways Trials ’25 Second COVID-19’ Test

Aiming to support the quick reopening of global borders, British Airways, and its medical technology partner, Canary Global have trialed an ultra-rapid Covid-19 antigen test that produces results in 25seconds.

The airline says it will use the test initially on its flight and cabin crew and compare it with its standard test results. The test uses saliva to detect SARS-CoV-2 and other variants in both symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals.

Kenya Debunks Reports of Flight Operations in Somaliland

Kenya Airways has debunked claims making rounds on social media that it operates flights from its hub, Nairobi to Hargeisa, Somaliland. It says flights to Somaliland are currently awaiting clearance and further approvals.

Brussels Extends Rebooking Option

Passengers of Brussels airlines with booked tickets can now reschedule their booking to any date as often as they want without any charges. However, all rebooking must be done before July 31, 2021, after which passengers will only have one more chance to make changes.

Also, for passengers who are indecisive about their travel dates, after the first cancellation of the initial travel date, they have up to August 31, 2021, to reschedule to another travel date in 2022 which must be before July 31, 2022

Passenger Traffic at KIA for 2020 Reduced by 40% Compared to 2019

International passenger traffic at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) for the year 2020 was 702, 651 compared to that of 2019’s 2.1million. The reduction affected revenue generated at KIA from GHC521.3million to GHC185.3 million. The shortfall can be attributed to the covid-19 pandemic which has created restrictions on human movement.

Similarly domestic traffic fell from 690,314 in 2019 to 423,718 in 2020.

Mark Ofosu ||Twitter: M__ofosu