By Victor Shalton
United Airlines Launches Nonstop Flights to Ghana
United Airlines’ quest for growth has led it to re-launch nonstop services to Accra, Ghana, adding to the carrier’s long-haul list after cutting the route back in 2012. The airline aiming at connecting Washington’s Dulles International Airport and Kotoka International Airport with thrice-weekly flights.
With the flights currently up for sale starting May 14, outbound flights from Dulles will operate on Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays while return flights from Accra’s Kotoka International Airport will operate on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
With just 5,282 miles between the two destinations, the 10-hour service will be operated using the Boeing 787-8 airliner configured with a 243-seat configuration consisting of 28 Polaris business class seats, 21 premium economy seats, 36 economy plus seats and 159 economy seats.
This new service is also part of the ongoing efforts to deepen the already-existing bilateral relationship between Ghana and the USA, according to Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority President and CEO Jack Potter in an official statement.
“The national capital region is home to one of the largest population of native Ghanaians in the United States, and we are honored to welcome United Airline’s new route from Dulles international Airport to Accra, as we work together to forge an important new link between our two countries,” said Potter.
“Today, Accra joins nearly 40 other nonstop international destinations currently served from Dulles International Airport, offering our customers more global connectivity as demand for air travel continues to rise,” Potter added.
Since the onset of the pandemic a year ago, United Airlines has been forced to cut hard, especially when it became clearer that the virus would upend life across the globe. Nevertheless, the Chicago-based carrier – as the largest international US carrier prior to the pandemic – unveiled three new destinations to Africa, including the already selling-Accra seats from Washington DC. United will also serve Lagos, Nigeria three times weekly as well.
United also went on to add new daily service between New York/Newark and Johannesburg to complement its existing service to Cape Town, South Africa, whose flights are set to begin later in the year.
The airline also expanded to India’s Bangalore – its first route to Bangalore – from San Francisco as well as adding flights from Chicago to New Delhi, a market where US carriers have been at a disadvantage competitively when compared to their Persian Gulf-based competitors.
During its full year returns, United Airlines reported an $8.8 billion pre-tax loss on $15.4 billion in operating revenues with the airline flying 69% less passenger traffic on a 57% cut in 2020. The airline lost $2.37 billion before taxes during its final three months of 2020, with the carrier’s daily losses rising to $7 million.
Victor Shalton’s love for aviation can be traced to when he was 11-years-old. As a seasoned aviation writer, he takes pride in providing the best aviation coverage around the globe and is passionate about advancing his skills in the aviation space. In addition, he loves travelling, writing, arts and while his speaking engagements have taken him around the world, he is proud to call Nairobi home.