Ho Airport
Ho Airport | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | |||||||||||
| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
| Owner/Operator | Ghana Airports Company Limited | ||||||||||
| Serves | Ho, Ghana | ||||||||||
| Location | Ho | ||||||||||
| Opened | 4 December 2021 | ||||||||||
| Time zone | Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 6°34′55″N 0°31′46″E / 6.58190°N 0.52955°E | ||||||||||
| Website | gacl | ||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||
  Ho Airport Location in Ghana | |||||||||||
 | |||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
| Statistics (2022) | |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
Ho Airport (IATA: HZO, ICAO: DGAH) is a regional airport built to serve Ho in the Volta Region of Ghana. Construction was completed in 2017, although the airport was not opened to commercial traffic until 2021.
History
[edit]On 18 September 2015, President John Dramani Mahama held a groundbreaking ceremony for Ho Airport.[2] The construction of the airport is in line with the Ghanaian government's goal to have airports in each of the country's regions. The cost of construction is estimated to be US$25 million, provided by Ghana Airports Company Limited.[3] The company building Ho Airport stated in May 2017 that the project would be finished by the end of 2017.[4] Construction began in September 2015 and was expected to cost US$25 million. Ultimately, airport will cover 1,500 acres (610 ha), with a passenger terminal and a 1,900-metre (6,200 ft) runway.
Africa World Airlines expressed interest in flying to Ho Airport once formally commissioned by the relevant authorities.[5] However, the Minister of Transport stated the airport was intentionally being left idle due to the absence of a state owned carrier.[6]
In January 2021, Africa World Airlines announced that services will begin in April 2021 with two weekly services from Accra.[7] On 15 April 2021, Africa World Airlines made the first test flight to Ho Airport with an Embraer 145 jet aircraft.[8] The flight was co-piloted by Togbe Afede XIV, who is also the Agbogbomefia of the Asogli State.[9]
Passion Air had an inaugural flight from the Kotoka International Airport in Accra to the Ho Airport on 1 December 2021.[10] The airline announced that its first commercial flights will be on 4 December 2021 to and from Accra.[11] The airline initially plans to fly to Ho twice a week.[12] Flights were suspended in March 2022, citing low patronage and high fuel costs.[13]
Airlines and destinations
[edit]All scheduled flights to Ho were suspended in March 2022, with Passion Air citing low patronage and high fuel costs as the reasons.[13] Africa World Airlines also confirmed that it had decided not to launch flights to Ho due to operational challenges.[14]
Statistics
[edit]These data show number of passengers movements into the airport, according to the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority.
| Year | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Passengers | 0 | 0 | 350 | 969 |
| Reference | [15] | [15] | [16][14] | [15] |
Infrastructure
[edit]Ho Airport will cover 1,500 acres (610 ha).[2] It will have a runway with dimensions 1,900 by 30 metres (6,234 ft × 98 ft) and a terminal that can handle 150,000 passengers annually.[2][3]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Airport codes Ho, Ghana (GH)". Airport codes.
- ^ a b c Boadu, Kwame; Anane, Mary (19 September 2015). "Ho goes agog as Prez Mahama cuts sod for airport". Daily Graphic. Accra. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
- ^ a b "Ghana to open new domestic airports at Ho and Wa". ch-aviation. 16 January 2017. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
- ^ Anane, Mary (23 May 2017). "Ho Airport to become training hub". Daily Graphic. Retrieved 5 August 2017.
- ^ "Africa World Airlines ready to use Ho Airport". Daily Graphic. 18 September 2020.
- ^ "Ho Airport begins commercial flights in April". Modern Ghana. Daily Guide. 8 April 2021.
- ^ Benjamin Aklama (28 January 2021). "Africa World Airlines to begin flights to Ho airport". Citi News.
- ^ Delali Adogla-Bessa (15 April 2021). "Africa World Airlines to embark on test flight to Ho airport today". Citi News.
- ^ Maxwell Awumh (15 April 2021). "AWA completes its first commercial flight to Ho Airport". Ghana News Agency.
- ^ "Ho Airport receives first domestic flight". GhanaWeb. 1 December 2021. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
- ^ Achivors, Jemima (25 November 2021). "PassionAir commences Ho-Accra flights December 4". Graphic Online. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
- ^ Kwofi, Maclean (30 November 2021). "PassionAir breathes life into 2 domestic airports". Graphic Online. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
- ^ a b "PassionAir suspend flights to Ho over fuel price hikes, high exchange rates". Modern Ghana. 25 March 2022.
- ^ a b Maclean Kwofi (5 April 2022). "Airlines ghost Ho airport". Daily Graphic.
- ^ a b c "Domestic Passenger Distribution (per Airport) 2019" (PDF). Ghana Civil Aviation Authority. Retrieved 2023-07-04.
- ^ "Domestic Passenger Distribution (per Month and per Airport) 2021" (PDF). Ghana Civil Aviation Authority. Retrieved 2023-07-04.
