The first ITA Airways flight from Rome Fiumicino arrived at Kotoka International Airport in Accra, Ghana. The plane, an Airbus A321neo, was welcomed with a water arch salute.
The inaugural ITA Airways flight from Accra Airport to Rome Fiumicino departed at 11:45 p.m. native time.
To rejoice the launch of this new intercontinental route, the Company’s first vacation spot in sub-Saharan Africa, an more and more strategic market, a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held at the arrival gate C8 in Terminal 3 of Accra Airport. The ceremony was attended by Yvonne Nana Afriyie Opare, Managing Director for Ghana Airports Company Limited, Daniela d’Orlandi, Ambassador of Italy to Ghana and Togo, Merene Benyah, Ambassador of Ghana to Italy, Rev Stephen Wilfred Arthur, Director, Business Development and Economic Regulations of the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), Pierfrancesco Carino, Vice President International Sales ITA Airways, and Benedetto Mencaroni, Regional Manager for Asia, Middle East, and Africa ITA Airways.
“We are proud to inaugurate the new direct flight between Accra and Rome,” stated Emiliana Limosani, Chief Commercial Officer of ITA Airways and CEO of Volare. “The launch of this new flight, the only direct connection between Ghana and Italy, represents a significant step forward for the Company: it is the first new flight to the African continent, a market with a great potential, of the current Summer season and will enable ITA Airways not only to gain a strategic entry for point-to-point traffic but also to reach other destinations within both Countries, thereby combining leisure and business travel.”
Reacting to the information,Yvonne Nana Afriyie Opare, Managing Director of Ghana Airports Company Limitedon behalf of the Board, Management and Staff, expressed pleasure concerning the new airline whose entry provides to the various portfolio of airways arriving and departing from Kotoka International Airport. “We look ahead to ITA Airways’ inaugural flight on June 6, 2024, simply in time for the summer time peak journey season’’, she stated. She additional assured of GACL’s readiness to facilitate operations and processes in working collaboratively with all companies at the airport along with ITA Airways to provide passengers a clean journey expertise by Kotoka International Airport.
Daniela d’Orlandi, Ambassador of Italy to Ghana, welcomed: “The start of ITA Airways’ direct connections between Accra and Rome will further strengthen the already excellent collaborative relationship between Italy and Ghana in all areas and will bring our peoples even closer”.
Merene Benyah, Ambassador of Ghana to Italy stated: “This renewed direct flight service by ITA Airways is indeed a measure of the growing business and commercial interests between Ghana and Italy; and will no doubt enhance trade, investment, tourism, and cultural links between the two Countries. Ghana has often been described as the gateway to Africa due to its strategic geographic location, democratic credentials, conducive business environment, healthy respect for the rule of law, and the proverbial warm hospitality of its people. The decision of ITA Airways to re-commence services between the two Countries is a testament to this”.
The Accra–Rome route, the one direct connection between Ghana and Italy, is step one for the Company in establishing a higher presence in West Africa, a key vacation spot for each leisure and company visitors. Following the Accra route, a brand new flight from Rome Fiumicino to Dakar will likely be inaugurated in July.
The new route operates with the next schedule:
· Accra to Rome with three weekly frequencies, rising to 4 in July: departure from Kotoka International Airport is scheduled at 11:45 p.m. (native time), with arrival at Rome Fiumicino at 7:35 a.m. within the morning after departure from Ghana (native time).
· Rome to Accra with three weekly frequencies, rising to 4 in July: departure from Rome Fiumicino is scheduled at 3:30 p.m. (native time) with arrival in Ghana at 7:15 p.m. (native time).
Flights to and from Accra will likely be operated with the brand new Airbus A321neo, a new-generation, technologically superior plane. The A321neo is the biggest plane within the Airbus A320neo household and presents distinctive vary and efficiency. Efficient and quiet, the brand new A321neo boasts 20% decrease gas consumption and CO2 emissions per seat. It is the primary narrow-body plane configured with three separate cabins: Business Class (12 seats), Premium Economy (12 seats), and Economy (141 seats, together with 12 devoted to Comfort Economy). The cabin interiors, fully designed by Walter de Silva, completely embody the class and magnificence typical of Italy.
Distinctive options of the A321neo embrace the Airspace Cabin with new colours and supplies, the most recent era of seats, new ITA Airways personalized inside lighting and XL overhead bins. Each seat is provided with the most recent leisure system, that includes “on-demand” video and audio, 17.3” (Business),
15.6” (Premium Economy) and 13.3” (Economy) low reflectivity and 4K decision touchscreens for a easy, clean and intuitive person expertise.
With this new route, ITA Airways will function 57 locations within the present summer time season, together with 16 home, 26 worldwide, and 15 intercontinental. Additionally, in the course of the peak of the summer time, the airline will fly to 12 extra seasonal locations, chosen among the many hottest Mediterranean vacationer spots, together with Greece, Spain, Croatia, and the Italian islands, accessible with direct flights from Rome Fiumicino and Milan Linate.
