For many Ghanaians, seeing someone step off an aeroplane is still a symbol of success, privilege and a lifestyle that remains beyond the reach of the ordinary worker. But for a worker earning about GH¢2,500 a month, the reality of flying domestically tells a very different story.
A return flight from Accra to Kumasi, which takes roughly 40 minutes each way, can now cost about GH¢5,000, equivalent to two months of that worker’s salary. To afford the trip, the passenger would have to set aside an entire two months’ income, assuming not a pesewa is spent on any other need.
The rising cost of domestic air travel is therefore putting the question of affordability at the centre of Ghana’s aviation ambitions, with air travel becoming a mode of transport reserved for those who can absorb its steep cost.
At a time when Ghana is investing heavily in airport infrastructure to expand capacity and strengthen Accra’s position as a regional aviation hub, aviation expert Sean Mendez has warned that the country’s tax structure could undermine those ambitions by making air travel unnecessarily expensive.
According to Mr Mendez, Ghana now has some of the highest taxes on aviation in Africa, following recent increases, raising concerns that the cost burden could become a stumbling block to faster growth in passenger traffic.
“Ghana has among the highest taxes in Africa now with the latest increases,” he said.
His concern is not that passenger traffic is declining. Rather, he argues that the market could be growing significantly faster if the tax burden were more reasonable.
Mendez said the concern goes beyond the taxes and charges paid directly for airport operations, pointing to the portion of aviation-related taxes that is channeled into general government revenue.
“It is not necessarily the taxes which go to the airport that are the problem; it is the share of the taxes that then go to general revenues that could probably be decreased,” he said.
The concern over the cost of air travel has become even more significant following a series of new charges introduced in Ghana’s aviation sector in 2026.
From April 1, 2026, passengers began paying the new Airport Infrastructure Development Charge (AIDC), with domestic travellers charged an additional GH¢100 per journey and international passengers subject to a US$100 charge. The levy was introduced to raise dedicated funding for airport infrastructure, including the Terminal 2–3 connecting concourse at Kotoka International Airport and other airport development projects across the country.
The new charge also came shortly after a US$18 Advance Passenger Information and Passenger Name Record (API/PNR) fee was introduced in February 2026. Industry stakeholders have warned that the accumulation of such charges is making Ghana one of the more expensive aviation markets in Africa, with concerns that high passenger costs could push some travellers and airlines towards competing regional hubs.
That is the tension at the heart of Ghana’s aviation strategy: the country needs to invest in infrastructure if Accra is to compete with established hubs, but the cost of financing that infrastructure cannot be allowed to make the resulting airport too expensive to use.
Mendez argues that Ghana should pay particular attention to the portion of aviation-related charges that ultimately feeds into general government revenue rather than directly supporting airport operations and development.
“The multiplier effect of having additional international passengers coming to Ghana would definitely outweigh the marginal gains that may be had from higher airport taxes,” he said.
His argument is essentially that Ghana could collect more from aviation by making it cheaper to fly, not necessarily by charging every passenger more.
Mendez also identified Ghana’s visa regime as another factor that could discourage passengers from choosing Accra as a transit point, describing the cost of obtaining a Ghanaian visa as expensive and potentially making the country less competitive as a regional aviation hub.
In May 2026, President John Mahama launched Ghana’s e-visa system and announced that holders of African passports travelling to Ghana would no longer pay visa fees.
The reform removes one barrier for African travellers, but visa costs remain relevant for other international visitors. Ghana’s current immigration schedule still includes fees for emergency and standard visa services, with higher charges applicable to expedited services.
For Ghana, therefore, the challenge is no longer simply building more airport infrastructure. It is ensuring that the cost of accessing that infrastructure does not discourage the very passengers whose numbers the investment is intended to increase.
Mendez believes Ghana already has the demand. Accra is one of the most internationally connected airports in West Africa, while Ghana’s domestic aviation market has expanded dramatically over the past 15 years. The opportunity is therefore to convert that demand into sustained passenger growth.
But that requires a careful balance. Higher charges may provide government and airport operators with additional revenue in the short term, yet if they push fares beyond what passengers are willing or able to pay, Ghana could lose traffic to alternative transport options and competing regional hubs.
Ghana’s ambition to establish Accra as a major aviation hub should go beyond expanding capacity to ensuring that the cost of using that infrastructure remains affordable for passengers.
As Mendez put it: “It is better to have more passengers at a lower tax than it is to have a higher tax which potentially drives some passengers away.”
