Local airline operators, PassionAir has suspended flights to the Volta regional capital, Ho.
According to the airline, although the new Ho route did not enjoy a lot of patronage, the decision to suspend flights to that part of the country is mainly due to the increase in fuel prices.
The airline which started scheduled domestic operations in Ghana in August 2018, from its Accra hub to Kumasi, Takoradi, Tamale, and later Wa, began flying to Ho only four months ago.
In an interview with Citi News, Sales and Marketing Manager with PassionAir, Samuel Razak Tachie said though the suspension is indefinite, it will resume flights to Ho as soon as fuel prices stabilize.
“Usually, when you start a route like this, it takes time to build up with the number of passengers. But in the course of time with the hikes in fuel prices and the exchange rate, we had some issues that were very challenging for us. So that is what has led to this suspension.”
“This is the first time the Ho route has not been operated on commercially, but the patronage has been very low and unfortunately the fuel prices and the depreciation of the cedi did not help matters. But our suspension of the Ho route is not permanent. It has been suspended for now and the company is assessing the situation to ascertain the way forward.”