SAA’s Ghana-US route to get the chop?

SAA’s popular flight to
Washington via Ghana
could be at risk as the
Ghanaian government says
it is reviewing fifth-freedom
traffic rights allocated to
foreign airlines.
Widespread media
reports quoted Ghanaian
Minister of Aviation, Cecilia
Dapaah, as saying: “The
fifth freedom traffic rights
are for a specific period.
We will renegotiate and get
the best for Ghana.” The
Minister’s announcement
comes as the government
is pushing ahead with plans
to establish a new national
Ghanaian airline by 2019.
But, SAA spokesperson,
Tlali Tlali, told TNW that
SAA had not been notified
of any pending changes to
the airline’s fifth freedom
rights in Ghana.
“Our agreement with
the Ghanaian authorities
is based on the excellent
relationship that exists
between the two countries,”
he said.
SAA currently operates
four flights a week from
Johannesburg’s OR Tambo
International Airport to
Accra’s Kotoka International
Airport and then to Dulles
International Airport in
Washington DC.
Said Tlali: “This schedule
has been operational since
August 2015 and has
proved to be very popular
with our customers. We
have seen an increase
in demand on all ends of
the market and we are
continuously evaluating
options to further enhance
the operations to serve the
ever-growing demand. This
is a clear indication of the
success of this route.”
Ben Langner, md of
Carlson Wagonlit Travel,
says he has seen a fair
demand for the SAA route
between Johannesburg
and Washington. “The
withdrawal of SAA traffic
rights between Ghana and
the US would be a setback
for SAA. The current
arrangements enhance the
commercial viability of the
route, as the airline taps
directly into the demand
from two areas, South
Africa and Ghana.”