Virgin Atlantic to suspend Accra operations

Virgin Atlantic has announced that it will suspend its operations between London, Heathrow and Accra from 22nd September, this year.

The last flight from Accra to London will depart on 23rd September, 2013, a statement from the airline declared.

“Exceptionally high fuel costs in Ghana, a challenging wider economic environment and an inability to operate morning arrivals from Accra due to scarcity of slots at Heathrow have all contributed to the decision to withdraw the service,” Edmond Rose, Director of Airline Planning for Virgin Atlantic said.

She indicated that Virgin Atlantic had to take the difficult decision to suspend its services between London and Accra, adding, “We were excited to enter the market and have been pleased to be part of the growth and development taking place in the country.

However, he noted: “We have been severely impacted by the price of fuel in Ghana this has resulted in us being forced to tanker fuel into Accra from the UK.

“Scarcity of slots at the UK’s international hub airport, London Heathrow has meant that we have been unable to offer morning arrivals into London, which makes us a less attractive option for the business traveller. This has also limited our ability to offer connections onto our wider transatlantic network.

“These are still challenging times for the airline industry, and we have to deploy our aircraft to routes with the right level of demand to be financially viable.”

The company noted: “We’d like to thank our customers, staff and business partners for their support during the past three years of operation between London Heathrow and Accra.”

Meanwhile, Virgin Atlantic will operate its full published schedule until the 22nd/23rd September and passengers can continue to book for travel prior to those days throughout the coming months.