Cedi Gains: government presses local airlines for lower ticket prices

Transport Minister Joseph Bukari Nikpe has called on domestic airline operators to lower their fares, following the recent strong performance of the Ghanaian cedi.

He made the appeal during a stakeholders’ breakfast meeting organized by the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) in Accra. Mr. Nikpe encouraged the airlines to take inspiration from road transport unions, which recently cut their fares by 15 percent.

“You are aware of the gains our cedi has made. Our cedi has appreciated against all the major currencies. And as such, we anticipate that it will trickle down to the service delivery in our country the cost of doing business in our country,” he said.

The Minister emphasized that the positive effects of the cedi’s appreciation should benefit all sectors, especially services like air transport. He noted that the limited number of domestic airlines has made the sector less competitive, affecting affordability for travelers.

“Let me say that because there are only two domestic airlines, they have a kind of monopoly that keeps them firm on their fares. But this breakfast meeting is one we are using to appeal to them to consider what the road transport sector did by reviewing their prices downwards by 15 percent, and urging them to take a cue from that,” Mr. Nikpe said.

He added that the government is actively engaging the airline operators and remains hopeful that fare reductions will follow soon.“It is only my prayer that they will listen to the requests and also review their fares downwards. You heard them saying that they are working on it, considering other factors. We are very hopeful that very soon they will have concluded their deliberations and we will see some fare reductions,” he said.

Mr. Nikpe’s comments reflect the government’s broader aim of ensuring that economic gains are felt by the general public, particularly in essential sectors like transport.