The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has urged British Airways, one of the world’s leading airlines, to upgrade the quality of the services it offers on the Accra-London-Accra route, as the airline prepares to commemorate 80 years of flying into Ghana.

According to President Akufo-Addo, “people complain about the movement (of flights to and from Accra) from Terminal 5 to Terminal 3 at Heathrow. Terminal 3 is not so convenient place as Terminal 5. There are also complaints about the quality of the planes (on the route) and the service. In some quarters, there is a feeling that you are taking us a little for granted in the way in which we are receiving your services.

“I think on an occasion like this, for when friends are speaking, I think we should speak frankly. I think am I am the proper person to let you know what the pre-occupations of our people are. These are matters that will be easy for you to rectify,” he added.

President Akufo-Addo made this known on Tuesday, April 11, 2017 when the Head of Middle East, Africa and Central Asia Sales at British Airways, Mr. Paolo De Renzis, paid a courtesy call on him at the Presidency, to congratulate him on his election as President of the Republic, and also to reinforce the commitments of the airline to growth of the aviation industry in Ghana.

The President noted that the co-operation between British Airways and Ghana has been good, explaining that “the patronage you have tells you about the confidence the Ghanaian people have in the airline. I want to congratulate you very warmly. 80 years of service is worth commemorating.”

In the presence of the Minister for Aviation, Hon. Cecilia Abena Dapaah; and the Managing Director of the Ghana Airports Company, John Attafuah, President Akufo-Addo stated that the vision of his government is to make Ghana an important aviation hub for the region and the continent.

The aviation hub, he added, will ensure that Ghana becomes the “place where aviation services will be guaranteed efficiently and competitively, and, that, we will have the infrastructure which will allow us to increase the volume of traffic that we have here, and expand the reach of our facilities at the airport. This is an important priority of our government.”

To this end, President Akufo-Addo hoped that the long, unbroken period of service between Ghana and British Airways will continue, hoping “that the years ahead of us will see the same level of fidelity on both sides.”

On his part, Mr. Paolo De Renzis stated that Ghana is one of the most important markets for British Airways, especially in Middle East, Africa and Central Asia.

“We have a longstanding relationship with the country. We are strongly committed to the market, and we appreciate your feedback. We will work very hard to improve the products and services to Ghana all the time,” he assured.