President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Tuesday urged the British Airways to upgrade the quality of their services on the Accra-London-Accra route, as the airline prepared to commemorate 80 years of flying into Ghana.
He said that there had been complaints about the quality of the planes on the route, the inconvenience of the terminal where they embark and disembark at the Heathrow Airport and general quality of services by the leading airline.
“people complain about the movement (of flights to and from Accra) from Terminal five to Terminal three at Heathrow. Terminal three is not so convenient place as Terminal five. 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, ” he said when Mr. Paolo De Renzis, the Head of Middle East, Africa and Central Asia Sales at British Airways, called on him at the Flagstaff House in Accra.
Mr Renzis was the Presidency to congratulate the President on his election to Ghana’s highest office and also to reinforce the commitments of the airline to growth of the aviation industry in Ghana.
“I think on an occasion like this, for when friends are speaking, I think we should speak frankly. I think 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,” President Akufo-Addo told Renzis.
President Akufo-Addo noted that the co-operation between British Airways and Ghana had 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.”
He stated that the vision of his government was 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 would continue, expressing the hope “that the years ahead of us will see the same level of fidelity on both sides.”
Mr Renzis stated that Ghana was one of the most important markets for British Airways, especially in Middle East, Africa and Central Asia.
“We have a long standing 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.
Present at the event were the Minister for Aviation, Cecilia Abena Dapaah and the Managing Director of the Ghana Airports Company, John Attafuah.
GNA
