Accra, Lagos war restarts as Air Peace joins Medview, Arik and AWA with daily flights
By Friday Nwosu
The fierce competition that characterized the Accra-Lagos route by Ghanaian and Nigerian carriers’ operating on the route is about to get stiffer as one of Nigeria’s domestic airlines, Air Peace, is set to join other players on the route.
According to nigeriatravelsmart.com, the maiden flight of the airline into Kotoka International Airport (KIA), Accra, Ghana takes off from the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos at 7 a.m. local time and makes a return to Lagos at 8 a.m. (GMT).
Subsequently, the Abuja-Accra-Abuja sector will come on stream.
A statement by the Corporate Communications Manager of Air Peace, Mr. Chris Iwarah said:
“We are pleased to announce the commencement of daily flights from Lagos into Accra and from Accra into Lagos from Thursday, February 16, 2017.
“The launch of our Lagos-Accra-Lagos route is for us a dream come true in our plan to take our spectacular flight experience to the West Coast, the African continent and other international destinations.’’
“We are hopeful our Accra-Lagos-Accra service will make seamless connection between Nigeria and Ghana an exciting possibility as well as boost the economy of the two countries in unimaginable ways.
“Our numerous customers and the entire air travel community are guaranteed a great service anchored on safety, comfort and affordability.
Our on-time departure record remains unequalled. Air travellers on the Lagos-Accra-Lagos route deserve the best of flight experience and that is what we are offering them.”
Nigerian domestic operators on the route were previously threatened by the forex crisis bedeviling the sector with some of them suspending their operation from the lucrative route.
Airlines like Aero Contractors which was a darling of passengers on the route and Dana Air suspended their operations following the forex crisis that is stifling operators on the route and the inability of carriers to source for FX.
The crisis had shrunk the service provided by Nigerian carriers on the route making Ghanaian carrier, Africa World Airline (AWA), the only dominant force on the route.
According to atqnews.com, AWA, which has been consistent in it operation recently increased its frequency on the Accra-Lagos route to four (4) times flights from four (4) weekly flights, making it the airline with the highest frequency on the route.
The airlines said the increase in the daily flight schedule was necessitated by the growing demand on the route by air travellers.
Nigeria and West Africa’s largest carrier Arik Air which has also been consistent on the Lagos-Accra route currently operate flights to the West Coast twice daily.
Medview Airline, one of the strong players on the route flies three times a week to the Ghanaian capital Accra.
With Air Peace joining the fray, competition on the route will definitely be stiff in the coming days.
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