At exactly 08:08 GMT on Saturday, May 15, 2021, United Airlines flight UA996 touched base at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA), Accra, from Dulles International Airport, Washington DC, to complete the first non-stop flight of its new services to the West African city after nine years of absence.The Boeing 787 Dreamliner was welcomed with fanfare, signifying a remarkable breakthrough by the Ghanaian government in positioning the country as the aviation hub in the African continent.The carrier will be operating a thrice-weekly service from Accra to Dulles International Airport, Washington DC.Flight UA997 is scheduled to leave Accra at late on Monday, Thursday and Saturday each week and land at Dulles International Airport, Washington DC the next day. On return, flight UA 996 will leave Dulles International Airport every Sunday, Wednesday and Friday each week to land at Kotoka International Airport the next morning.The re-launch of United Airlines to Ghana makes it two United States of America airlines that provide a direct entry point to the US, the first being Delta Airlines which provides a non-stop flight from Accra to New York.Bold decisionGhana’s Minister of Transport, Kweku Ofori Asiamah, who was represented by Amin Abdul Rahman, Director of M & A, Ministry of Transport, at a short ceremony to welcome United Airlines commended the airliner for the bold decision they took to return to Ghana at such a difficult time in the global aviation industry.The entry of United Airlines into Ghana, he noted, will further “build closer ties between Ghana and the United of America”. He was very confident that the thrice-weekly flight service will quickly grow to daily flights.

Source: Further Africa