Yesterday marked a significant expansion for ITA Airways as their first flight from Rome Fiumicino touched down at Kotoka International Airport in Accra, Ghana. The Airbus A321neo received a ceremonial water arch salute upon arrival, signifying the importance of this new route.
In a late evening event, the inaugural ITA Airways flight departed from Accra to Rome at 11:45 p.m. local time, establishing a direct air link between Ghana and Italy. This flight is not only a new route but represents ITA Airways’ first foray into sub-Saharan Africa, marking a strategic expansion in their intercontinental connections.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony at Terminal 3’s arrival gate C8 heralded this launch, attended by prominent figures such as Yvonne Nana Afriyie Opare, Managing Director of Ghana Airports Company Limited; Daniela d’Orlandi, Ambassador of Italy to Ghana and Togo; Merene Benyah, Ambassador of Ghana to Italy; Rev Stephen Wilfred Arthur, Director of Business Development and Economic Regulations at the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA); Pierfrancesco Carino, Vice President of International Sales at ITA Airways; and Benedetto Mencaroni, Regional Manager for Asia, Middle East, and Africa at ITA Airways.
During the event, Emiliana Limosani, Chief Commercial Officer of ITA Airways and CEO of Volare, emphasized the significance of the new service: “We are proud to inaugurate the new direct flight between Accra and Rome,” she said. “The launch of this new flight, the only direct connection between Ghana and Italy, represents a significant step forward for the Company: it is the first new flight to the African continent, a market with a great potential, of the current Summer season and will enable ITA Airways not only to gain a strategic entry for point-to-point traffic but also to reach other destinations within both Countries, thereby combining leisure and business travel.”
This development opens a new chapter in aviation for both nations, promising enhanced economic and cultural exchanges and bolstering the strategic connections between Africa and Europe.