Prices of airline tickets are likely to go up 15% after the reopening of the Kotoka International Airport for passenger travels.
This is according to some players in the travel and tour industry who spoke to PrimeNewsGhana after the announcement by President Akufo-Addo yesterday.
They attributed the likely increase to airline bankruptcy which will reduce supply and competition and also the reduction in the number of the fleet due to the number of passengers travelling during this period.
Director of Corporate Affairs for EduConcepts, Samson K. Afordofe explained why the likely increment in their services.
“Generally, the overall cost of travel and tourism as a whole has increased. Two sets of people will bear the burden of these extra cost COVID-19 has brought.
The first is the tour operators and travel companies. We will have to bear certain costs and minimize profit margins in other to make tour packages attractive to clients.
Second is the clients. Most likely travellers and tourists will be the ones bearing the majority of the cost. Tests, sanitized rooms, personal protective equipment will be costs primarily born by travellers through a slight increase in airfares, hotel bookings and ground transportation.”
President Akufo-Addo yesterday announced that the Kotoka International Airport will from September 1, 2020 resume operations.
He said this during his 16th Covid-19 address to the nation.
“Fellow Ghanaians, in Update No.15, I announced the easing of restrictions in some areas of national life. I also indicated my hope that preparations and simulation exercises underway, including the installation of COVID-19 testing facilities at Kotoka International Airport, would give us a clear indication as to whether or not we could re-open the airport on 1st September. After weeks of thorough work, I am satisfied that it is safe to do so.”
“Fellow Ghanaians, I am glad to announce that Kotoka International Airport will reopen and resume operations from Tuesday, 1st September 2020. This decision has been communicated to international airlines across the world.”
The President has also outlined some guidelines for passengers and airlines ready to fly into Ghana.
“It has been well-established that the very first cases of COVID-19 in Ghana were imported into our shores. We are determined to make sure this scenario does not recur. The commitment to ensuring that the gradual easing of restrictions, including the reopening of our airports, does not lead to the importation or resurgence of the virus into our country, is firmly in place. That is why the following measures have been taken and duly communicated to airlines wishing to resume flights to Ghana:
Any passenger arriving in Ghana must be in possession of a negative COVID-19 PCR test result from an accredited laboratory in the country of origin. The test should have been done not more than seventy-two (72) hours before the scheduled departure from the country of origin. All airlines have been instructed to ensure compliance with this directive for all passengers wishing to travel to Ghana, and those airlines who fail in this regard will be duly sanctioned;
disembarking passengers must do so wearing face masks;
upon disembarking from the aeroplane, each passenger will undergo a mandatory COVID-19 test at the airport terminal, at a fee to be borne by the passenger. The test result will be available within thirty (30) minutes;
4.children under the ages of five (5) will not be required to undergo testing at the airport
passengers, who test positive for COVID-19, will be handled by the health authorities for further clinical assessment and management;
passengers, who test negative, can, thereupon, enter Ghana to go about their lawful activities, and will be advised to continue to observe COVID-19 safety precautions during their stay in Ghana.
The Ministries of Information, Health and Aviation, and their respective agencies- the Ghana Health Service, the Ghana Airports Co. Ltd., and the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority – will spell out in further detail the protocols surrounding the re-opening of our international airport, and the procedures to be adhered to by passengers arriving in Ghana at the COVID-19 media briefing tomorrow, Monday, 31″ August.
For the avoidance of doubt, our borders, by land and sea, will continue to remain closed to human traffic until further notice.”
