Transport Minister Joseph Bukari Nikpe has called on domestic airline operators to reduce airfares in light of the recent appreciation of the Ghanaian cedi, highlighting the need for consumers to benefit from improved macroeconomic indicators.
Speaking at a stakeholder breakfast meeting organised by the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) in Accra, Mr. Nikpe emphasized that the strengthening cedi should positively impact the cost of doing business and service delivery across the country particularly within the transport sector.
“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 noted.
The Minister cited recent fare reductions by road transport operators, who implemented a 15% cut in prices, as a benchmark for the aviation sector. He urged domestic carriers to adopt a similar approach in response to favourable economic developments.
“Let me say that because there are only two domestic airlines, they have a kind of monopoly that is keeping them to be very tight on their fares. But this breakfast meeting is one that we use to appeal to them to consider what the road transport sector did by reviewing their prices downwards by 15% and urging them to take a cue from that and also do a reduction in their fares,” Mr. Nikpe stated.
He expressed concern over the limited competition in Ghana’s domestic aviation market, which he says contributes to consistently high airfares due to minimal pricing pressure.
However, Mr. Nikpe also revealed that dialogue with the operators is ongoing, and early signs suggest a willingness on the part of airlines to review their fare structures.
“It is only my prayers that they will listen to the requests and also review downwards their fares. You heard them saying that they are working at it, considering other factors. We are very hopeful that very soon they would have ended their deliberations and would have seen some fare reductions,” he added.
The Transport Ministry is expected to continue engagements with industry players to ensure that economic gains are passed on to consumers, especially as the government works to improve affordability and accessibility in domestic air travel.
