Passengers travelling on the Accra-Lagos route are expected to enjoy reduced fares and improved services in the coming months, as Nigerian carrier Dana Air is set to become the third carrier to ply the route.
The Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), upon inspection of Dana Air’s aircraft and facilities at its base in Murtala Mohammed Airport Terminal 2, has given permission for the operator to start flying the route in line with the existing bilateral agreement between the two countries.
“Ghana has a bilateral agreement with Nigeria, which allows for multiple operators on the route until such a time that we think a cap should be placed on it. We have inspected their aircraft and facilities, and have given permission for Dana to fly the route,” Mr. Martey Boye Atoklo, Deputy Director General-Technical, GCAA, revealed in an interview.
Two Nigerian carriers, Aero and Arik Air, and Ghanaian carrier Africa World Airlines (AWA) currently fly the Accra-Lagos route.
Starbow, an indigenous Ghanaian carrier, was also last year granted permission to operate flights between the two countries by Nigeria’s civil aviation authority.
One-way tickets from Accra to Lagos currently cost about GH¢400, with a return ticket priced at about GH¢800.With the capacity of the three airlines expected to enhance competition, consumers will be the ultimate beneficiaries with lower fares, better safety and quality of service expected to inform consumer choice.
Dana Air had its license suspended after a challenging three-year period, in which one of the airline’s planes was involved in a fatal crash in Lagos.
The airline’s license was restored in January this year.
It currently operates domestically with flight from Lagos to Abuja, Port Harcourt, and Uyo.
It also operates flights from Port Harcourt to Abuja and Uyo-Abuja routes using its fleet of Boeing McDonnell 83 and Boeing B737-500 aircraft.