Africa World Airlines had its first scheduled flight from the Kotoka International Airport in Accra to Dosin International airport in Ouagadougou on July 1 at 10am.
Before take-off, Africa World Airline had a press briefing during which the Ambassador of Burkina Faso to Ghana, Mr. Kabre, and the Board Chairman of AWA, Togbe Afede, attended.
During the engagement with the press, Togbe Afede XIV expressed sincere gratitude to the public and all those who helped to make this a reality.
“Since we started in 2012, we have always worked hard to connect Africa. We made Accra to Sierra Leone, Abidjan, Monrovia, Lagos and Abuja our focus. Then came COVID-19 that derailed us,” he noted.
“Currently we are getting back on track in terms of the integration of our continent. Integration is important because in today’s globalised world, the numbers matter; and that is the reason why we keep our focus on the Africa Continental Free Trade Area as we will love to help Africa integrate and face the rest of the world,” he said.
He further indicated that “we have done reasonably well over the years; our safety record is great, our regulation is great and that is the kind of tradition we expect to continue,” adding that very soon, Africa World Airline will link the Sahel to Algeria to fulfil the president’s vision of bringing back into the fold Burkina Faso and Niger”.
Currently, the cost of ticket from Accra to Ouagadougou is US$290. This, he said, has been a cause of complain for most passengers.
“Currently, our passengers are crying over prices of tickets. However, I want our customers to understand that Africa World Airlines remains the best in terms of value for money,” he said.
He went further and said ‘with the strengthening of the cedi, many people expect our prices to go down, but it is a complex issue to understand.
While the cedi has appreciated, many obligations had already been incurred based on the its previous rate against the dollar; so it would definitely take a bit of time. He, however, assured: “But I want to assure our customers that Africa World Airline is committed to giving them value for money and, most importantly, safety”!
