Airports Company, GCAA to lose GH¢2.4m monthly over BA’s flights cut - Report

AviationGhana analyses show that the Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL) and the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) will lose a combined GH¢2.4 million per month in tax revenue, following the decision by British Airways (BA) to reduce its frequency on the London-Accra-London route from seven to five for the summer period.

British Airways operates a Boeing 777 on the London-Accra-London route that has about 300 seats on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.

The reduction in frequency translates into about 600 seats hived off the Heathrow-based airline’s regular frequency on the route.

The least airport passenger service charge per passenger on international flights that goes to the GACL is US$100, and US$20 for aviation safety charge per passenger goes to GCAA.

The reduction in frequency, therefore, translates into a revenue loss of US$290,000 per month. An airline exchange rate of US$1 to GH¢8.25 on Monday, June 13, 2022, means the two entities will lose a combined total of GH¢2,378,000 in potential revenue per month.

British Airways announced changes to its Summer schedule on the London-Accra-London route effective June 1, 2022.

The reduction in flight frequency follows ongoing operational challenges encountered by the Heathrow-based airline in the past week that has resulted in travel chaos in major UK airports. Reports in the UK say a total of more than 100 BA flights were axed from Heathrow on June 6, 2022.

Staff shortages and a struggle to replace frontline staff by BA at its hub in Heathrow and other secondary airports due to the lack of expertise of many applicants.

This is further compounded by the stringent security scrutiny each applicant has to go through. Some UK airlines say delays in issuing security clearance for lists submitted for security checks are also not helping the situation. An applicant, it must be noted, must be cleared by UK security agencies before they can work as airport staff.