Uganda Airlines has officially begun scheduled flights to Ghana, establishing a new air connection between West and East Africa that is expected to support trade, tourism, investment and business travel between the two regions.
The airline’s entry into the Ghanaian market was marked by the arrival of its inaugural Entebbe-Lagos-Accra flight at Accra International Airport on Tuesday. The launch makes Ghana the 18th destination in Uganda Airlines’ network since the carrier began operations seven years ago.
Uganda Airlines will initially operate four flights a week on the route, with plans to increase services to daily flights as passenger demand grows. The additional connection is expected to give travellers and businesses more options for moving between Ghana, Uganda and other destinations across the African continent.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, Ghana’s Minister of Transport, Joseph Nikpe, welcomed the airline’s arrival, describing it as further recognition of Ghana’s position as an important aviation hub in West Africa.
He said the new service would encourage more travel between Ghana and Uganda while creating opportunities for businesses in both countries to strengthen commercial relationships. Improved air connectivity, he added, could also make it easier to move people and goods between West and East African markets.
Nikpe used the occasion to highlight the government’s investment in developing Ghana’s airport infrastructure and its ambitions to expand the country’s role in regional aviation. He stressed that Ghana needed to attract more airlines and make effective use of the facilities it had developed.
The minister also revealed that a government-appointed committee had completed its work on a proposed roadmap for establishing a national airline. The committee was set up the previous year to examine the way forward, and Nikpe said an announcement on the next steps would be made soon.
For Uganda Airlines, the launch in Accra is part of a broader effort to improve connections between African markets rather than simply add another destination to its route network.
The airline’s Chief Executive Officer, Ato Girma Wake, said its presence in Ghana was intended to strengthen connections between West Africa, East Africa and other parts of the continent. He explained that closer cooperation between African airlines would help passengers travel more easily across regional markets.
Wake also called for greater collaboration among African carriers, arguing that the continent has enough passenger demand to support a stronger aviation industry. Rather than operating in isolation, he said, airlines could work together to build more effective connections and improve access to destinations across Africa.
He expressed appreciation to the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) and the Ghanaian government for granting Uganda Airlines the necessary operating approvals. These include fifth-freedom traffic rights, which allow an airline, subject to regulatory approval, to carry passengers between two foreign countries as part of a service connected to its home country.
The rights are particularly relevant to Uganda Airlines’ Entebbe-Lagos-Accra service, giving the carrier additional opportunities to connect passengers through its West African operations.
The Managing Director of Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL), Yvonne Nana Afriyie Opare, described the launch as an important development in relations between Ghana and Uganda. She said the new route reflected growing confidence in Ghana’s aviation market and would provide passengers with additional travel options.
Opare also pointed to the potential benefits for tourism, cultural exchange, trade and wider economic cooperation. She reaffirmed GACL’s commitment to providing the infrastructure and operational support needed to accommodate Uganda Airlines and other international carriers operating in Ghana.
The Director-General of the GCAA also welcomed the airline’s arrival, describing it as evidence of confidence in Ghana’s aviation industry and its potential as a regional aviation centre.
The authority, the director-general said, would continue working to strengthen aviation safety, security and operational efficiency while modernising infrastructure and systems to attract more international airlines.
Uganda Airlines’ entry into Ghana adds another connection to the continent’s regional aviation network at a time when African governments and carriers are seeking better links between markets. The initial four weekly flights provide a starting point, while the airline’s planned expansion to daily services will depend on how demand develops.
For Ghana and Uganda, the new route creates another channel for business and passenger movement between the two countries, with the potential to support closer economic and tourism ties.
