As Ghana intensifies its ban on travels in and out of the country’s borders to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, a British Airways bound flight to Ghana, was forced to make a U-turn to returned to the UK despite an initial permission for the British High Commission to evacuate over 300 people mostly UK nationals.
According to Aerotime, a global aviation news media, the British Airways flight, BA81, took off from London Heathrow Airport (LHR) on March 23, 2020, and was scheduled to land at the Kotoka International Airport (ACC) in Accra, some six hours later.
According to the news website, flight BA81 is a daily scheduled British Airways flight that connects the capitals of the UK and Ghana, but on March 23, the flight, operated by Boeing 747 (registration number G-CIVN), took off with nearly two hours delay.
An initial agreement to a request by the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority, said the approval was given by the inter-ministerial committee on COVID-19.
However, according to sources, the decision was rescinded even before the British Airways flight could land in Ghana, leaving the British nationals stranded.
The GCAA has not provided any information influencing the last-minute reversal.
ALSO READ: COVID-19: Allianz Life gives GHC 8.4 million insurance cover to health workers in Ghana
On March 21, 2020, the Government of Ghana announced the closure of the country’s borders due to increasing novel coronavirus COVID-19 spread.
The border closure came into effect at 00:01 UTC on March 23 and would preliminary last until April 5, 2020. The ban on travels remains for two weeks after which government will review based on the situation in the country.
All international flights to and from Ghana are suspended.
