South African Airways (SAA), the leading carrier on the African continent on Thursday announced the introduction of new route which would link Ghana directly to North America.
Speaking at a news conference in Accra, Mr Nico Bezuidenhout, Acting Chief Executive Officer, SAA, described the introduction of the new route as a major boost for travellers and trade relations.
Mr Bezuidenhout said with a strong presence in West Africa, in the form of nonstop services from Accra – Washington D.C. “and through our airline partnerships, our customers will soon have access to further destinations in West Africa”.
He said the new route is a major development and achievement for the airline, as part of a long term turnaround strategy where it has set growth on the African continent as its key objectives.
Mr Kendy Phohleli, SAA Executive Africa Hub Projects, explained that the decision to route some of its North American bound flights to Ghana was based on sound business principles as there is a considerable demand for passengers wanting to fly from Ghana to US.
“Directly connecting the two countries, now made possible with the granting of traffic rights by the Ghana government, will aid existing trade relations and further strengthen Ghana’s robust economic outlook,” he said.
He said, with the new route, travellers would be able to experience a four star Skytrax rated airline service to North America which offers world class quality, product and service standards.
He said the nonstop service would also reduce travel times from Ghana to the US considerably.
Mr Phohleli also announced the SAA partnership with Africa World Airlines, a domestic carrier, to offer customers more travel options within the West African region.
He said the partnership would offer SAA customers from Washington and Johannesburg seamless connectivity through Accra to other destinations such as Kumasi, Takoradi and Tamale, as well as to Lagos in Nigeria.
Source: GNA
