British Airways has given the assurance that there are no plans to move all Accra-Heathrow-Accra flights to Gatwick.

According to the airline, there are rather plans to increase the Heathrow-Accra flights to 10 times a week, which may include night flights, subject to some conditions.

Chief Planning and Strategy Officer at British Airways, Neil Alan Chernoff disclosed this in an exclusive interview with Joy Business in London.

British Airways in 2021 announced plans to move its Heathrow-Accra-Heathrow flights to Gatwick as part of restructuring of its operations.

The move didn’t go down well with lots of passengers flying from Accra to London as government also protested against the decision.

But Mr. Chernoff explained that the decision at the time was influenced by some constrains at the Heathrow Airport.

Mr. Chernoff maintained that the conditions that existed at the time no longer pertains.

Why the Gatwick operations?

British Airways on Monday October 30 launched its London Gatwick- Accra- Gatwick flights. 

The airline commenced the service with its Boeing 777-200, which offer more room for passengers and less premium seats. 

According to British Airways, the new route also adds cargo capacity between the two cities, increasing opportunities for Ghanaian exporters to get perishable and other goods to the market more quickly through the IAG Cargo.

Mr. Chernoff  added that the Gatwick Airport presents a major convenient service to travelers as passengers increase.

Will Gatwick operations impact on ticket pricing?

Mr. Chernoff said the pricing of tickets would be determined by the supply and demand factors.

According to him, flying from Gatwick is less expensive than Heathrow

Passenger arrivals hitting pre-pandemic levels

The Deputy Minister of Transport, Alhassan Tampuli, in a recent interview with Joy Business disclosed that passenger arrivals into Ghana has surpassed pre-pandemic levels.

In his response, Mr. Chernoff said that “we have definitely seen demand picked up compared to what we had in 2019 for our Accra operations”.

He added that the development has impacted on British Airways decision to increase its frequency.

“The development is not about Ghana only. We are flying more flights than what we did in 2019 and it shows that Africa travels have reached above pre-pandemic levels”, Mr. Chernoff added.