SOUTH AFRICAN AIRWAYS RELAUNCHES OPERATIONS IN GHANA

South African Airways (SAA) has relaunched flight operations on the Johannesburg – Accra – Johannesburg route after 18 months suspension. Other African cities being serviced from Johannesburg so far include Kinshasa, Harare, Lusaka, and Maputo.

The suspension of flight services by SAA caused great discomfort to passengers who had to endure long hours in transit before arriving at their destinations.
In his welcome remarks, the Managing Director of Ghana Airports Company Limited, Mr. Yaw Kwakwa congratulated Management of South African Airways for braving all odds to make the relaunch a reality after an 18-month break.

He gave assurance that GACL would do everything within its mandate to ensure a seamless facilitation process at the airport to enable airlines achieve a consistently on-time departure and arrival performance. He indicated that GACL will continue to work with the Ministry of Transport, Ghana Civil Aviation Authority and other stakeholders achieve government’s vision of positioning Ghana as the preferred aviation hub and leader in airport business in West Africa.

The Director-General of Ghana Civil aviation Authority, Ing. Charles Kraikue congratulated the airline and charged airline operators to constantly ensure strict adherence to safety standards and protocols in their operations.

The Country Manager of South Africa Airways, Gloria Wilkinson Mensah, in her remarks, underscored the importance of the Johannesburg/Accra route from both business and tourism perspectives and indicated that the route formed part of the new African route network stressing that the route network was under constant evaluation based on demand.

The South African High Commissioner to Ghana, Her Excellency Grace Jeanette Mason expressed SAA’s readiness to play a strategic role towards realizing the vision of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement Area.

The Deputy Minister for Transport, Hon. Hassan Tampuli (MP) while responding to calls by airlines to relax the covid protocols for enhanced flow of operations, asserted that the pandemic-induced protocols will be prioritized over profits.