‘Aviation This Week’, first edition of March summarizes topical happenings in Ghana’s aviation industry from March 1 – 6, 2021. The highlights are below:
Air Peace Returns to Accra
Nigerian airline, Air Peace has indicated its willingness to re-start daily flight operations in Ghana starting March 15, 2021. The airline which had its flight operations suspended at the peak of the coronavirus pandemic, says its daily flights between Lagos and Accra will depart at 7: 00 AM local time.
Airports Company Vaccinates Staff
Following the roll out of the COVID-19 vaccination exercise in Ghana, the Ghana Airports Company Limited has begun vaccinating its frontline staff with the AstraZeneca vaccine. The exercise which begun on March 2, 2021, started with the GACL chairperson Madam Oboshie Sai Cofie.
KIA, Best African Airport
The Kotoka International Airport (KIA) has been crowned as the best medium-sized airport in Africa for the second time running by the Airports Council International`s Airport Service Quality Award. The award took into consideration the performance of airports based on customers’ perceptions and satisfactions.
Emirates to Make Extra Cash for Empty Seats
As part of measures to encourage social distancing on-board, Emirates says it will offer passengers the opportunity to pay between $55 and $165 to block seats next to them where applicable. However, in order to ensure no seat is booked under this initiative to deny the airline of the full fare for such seat, the seats for social distancing will only be sold during check-in.
Vaccination to be required for Hajj 2021
Authorities in Saudi Arabia say pilgrims to this year’s Hajj will be required to vaccinate for COVID-19 before been allowed entry into Mecca. This condition if effected will help manage the over two million people worldwide who visit the country annually for the Islamic pilgrimage.
EgyptAir Offering 25% Discounts
Egypt Air is offering passengers traveling to/from New York and Muscat up to 25% discount on all tickets purchased. For passengers to/from New York bookings can be made from now until March 18, 2021 for travels until April 14, 2021. For passengers traveling to/from Muscat bookings can be made from now untill March 31, 2021 for travels until May 5, 2021.
PassionAir’s Operational Performance Results for February 2021.
For the month of February, 2021, Passion Air scheduled 382 flights, of which only 15 flights operated with delays beyond 15 minutes. There were 5 flight cancellations, two of which were due to weather and three as a result of the strike action by airport workers at the Kotoka International Airport.
Comparing February, 2021’s data to that of January, 2021, scheduled flights for February was 18 less than that of January. For flight delays, there was an improvement in February where delays decreased by 9. Flight cancellations was also one more than that of January.
British Airways’ Airport Switch Plans Canceled
British Airways in updating its plans for summer 2021 says its London-Accra-London flight operations will continue to be operated from the Heathrow Airport.
This move is seen as a row back by the airline which initially made known of its plans earlier this year to operate the said flights from the Gatwick Airport by the end of March, 2021.
The decision to switch airports by the airline was met with stiff opposition by Ghana’s Aviation Ministry at the time due to what the ministry calls lack of enough convincing information to justify the switch.
Authored
Mark Ofosu || Twitter: M__ofosu