Ho Airport is a regional

airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial air transport. Airports usually consists of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surface ...

built to serve Ho in the

Volta Region Volta Region (or Volta) is one of Ghana's sixteen administrative regions, with Ho designated as its capital. It is located west of Republic of Togo and to the east of Lake Volta. Divided into 25 administrative districts, the region is multi-et ...

of Ghana. Construction was completed in 2017, although the airport was not opened to commercial traffic until 2021.

History

On 18 September 2015, President

John Dramani Mahama John Dramani Mahama (; born 29 November 1958) is a Ghanaian politician who served as President of Ghana from 24 July 2012 to 7 January 2017. He previously served as Vice President of Ghana from January 2009 to July 2012, and took office as presi ...

held a

groundbreaking Groundbreaking, also known as cutting, sod-cutting, turning the first sod, or a sod-turning ceremony, is a traditional ceremony in many cultures that celebrates the first day of construction for a building or other project. Such ceremonies are o ...

ceremony for Ho Airport. The construction of the airport is in line with the Ghanaian government's goal to have airports in each of the country's

regions In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...

. The cost of construction is estimated to be US$25 million, provided by

Ghana Airports Company Limited Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL) is a state-owned company with responsibility for developing, maintaining, planning and managing airports in Ghana. It was registered in 2006 and presently manages airports such as Kotoka International Airport ...

. The company building Ho Airport stated in May 2017 that the project would be finished by the end of 2017. Construction began in September 2015 and was expected to cost US$25 million. Ultimately, airport will cover , with a passenger terminal and a runway. Africa World Airlines expressed interest in flying to Ho Airport once formally commissioned by the relevant authorities. However, the Minister of Transport stated the airport was intentionally being left idle due to the absence of a state owned carrier. In January 2021, Africa World Airlines announced that services will begin in April 2021 with two weekly services from

Accra Accra (; tw, Nkran; dag, Ankara; gaa, Ga or ''Gaga'') is the capital and largest city of Ghana, located on the southern coast at the Gulf of Guinea, which is part of the Atlantic Ocean. As of 2021 census, the Accra Metropolitan District, , ...

. On 15 April 2021, Africa World Airlines made the first test flight to Ho Airport with an

Embraer 145 The Embraer ERJ family (for Embraer Regional Jet, model names EMB-135, EMB-140 and EMB-145) are regional jets designed and produced by the Brazilian aerospace company Embraer. The family includes the ERJ135 (37 passengers), ERJ140 (44 passenger ...

jet aircraft. The flight was co-piloted by

Togbe Afede XIV Togbe Afede XIV (born James Akpo on 23 April 1957) is the Agbogbomefia of the Asogli State, President of Asogli Traditional Area, and former President of the National House of Chiefs. Early life and education Togbe Afede XIV was born as Jame ...

, who is also the Agbogbomefia of the Asogli State. Passion Air had an inaugural flight from the

Kotoka International Airport Kotoka International Airport is an international airport in Accra, the capital of Ghana. The airport is operated by Ghana Airports Company Limited, Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL), which has its offices on the airport property. It is the ...

in Accra to the Ho Airport on 1 December 2021. The airline announced that its first commercial flights will be on 4 December 2021 to and from Accra. The airline initially plans to fly to Ho twice a week. Flights were suspended in March 2022, citing low patronage and high fuel costs.

Airlines and destinations

All scheduled flights to Ho were suspended in March 2022, with Passion Air citing low patronage and high fuel costs as the reasons. Africa World Airlines also confirmed that it had decided not to launch flights to Ho due to operational challenges.

Statistics

These data show number of passengers movements into the airport, according to the

Ghana Civil Aviation Authority GCAA or Ghana Civil Aviation Authority is the civil aviation authority and regulatory agency of the Republic of Ghana for air transportation in the country. It has its headquarters in Kotoka Airport in Accra. It will have a runway with dimensions and a terminal that can handle 150,000 passengers annually.

References

{{authority control Airports in Ghana Presidency of John Mahama

History

Airlines and destinations

Statistics

See also

References