Emirates has announced four new weekly services between Dubai International Airport, UAE (DXB) and Accra International Airport (ACC), Ghana. These will be in addition to the daily flights Emirates currently operates between the two airports and will be introduced on July 12. It is hoped that the new flights will provide Ghanaian travellers and goods with better access to Europe, the U.S., and the Far East.
Why Has Emirates Announced New Flights?
Emirates has been operating a service between DXB and ACC since January 2004 and operate more flights to and from Ghana than any other airline based outside of Africa.
Emirates previously expanded its Ghanaian services to 11 flights per week in 2019, before scaling back its operations during the Coivd-19 pandemic.
Emirates’ Country Manager for Ghana, Salem Almana, stated:
“The introduction of this additional service demonstrates our continued confidence in the Ghanaian market.”
The announcement focused on how the new services will connect Ghanaian travellers with “close to 140 destinations worldwide”. The new flights from ACC will be specifically timed to help travellers taking onward flights from DXB to Australia, the Far East, and the U.S.
It is also hoped that travellers from Europe and the U.S. will use DXB as a transit airport when travelling to Ghana.
The Potential Benefits for Ghana
Almana also outlined how the new flights may help to expand Ghana’s export sector:
“This expansion will strengthen business, tourism and trade links between Ghana and key markets across our global market.”
The services will be operated using Emirates’ fleet of Boeing 777-300ER jets, which have the capacity to transport large quantities of commercial goods, as well as passengers.
Transporting Ghanaian goods to DXB will connect them with the Emirates SkyCargo network, which already transports Ghanaian exports to European destinations.
This includes the transportation of goods into Switzerland, the biggest importer of Ghanaian goods in 2024, via Zurich Airport (ZRH).
The Outlook at Emirates
This announcement follows a potentially difficult few months for Emirates, with the popularity of its regular services to and from the DXB hub being impacted by the U.S.-Iran conflict.
Emirates President Tim Clark told the Berlin Air Show, June 9, that the company had “no intention of cutting back” on its scheduled services.
The announcement on June 17, of an interim agreement to end to conflict may have raised confidence in the financial sustainability of Emirates’ current timetable.
Emirates’ regional rivals, Etihad and Qatar Airways have also recently returned to operating at 93% and 87% of its regular capacity.
This is despite the European Union Aviation Safety Agency continuing to formally warn tourists against flying to the Middle East.
Are you planning to fly to Ghana soon? Do you regularly use Emirates services? Let us know in the comments.
