Ghana Airways to offer direct U.S.-Liberia service

ACCRA, Feb 4, Reuters -- Ghana and Liberia signed an agreement on Friday that will allow passengers on Ghana Airways flights from New York to disembark at the Robertsfield Airport in Monrovia before proceeding to Accra.

Ghana's Minister of Roads and Transport, Edward Salia, and his Liberian counterpart, Brahimaa Kaba, signed a Memorandum of Understanding to this effect in Accra.

It was not clear how many direct flights Ghana Airways would offer per week.

Ghana Airways in the long run intends to acquire the necessary clearance from the Federal Aviation Administration in the United States to enable it to take passengers from Monrovia direct to the United States.

The main airports serving Ghana, in Accra, and Dakar, in Senegal, are the only ones in West Africa currently able to offer direct flights to the United States. Others do not have FAA security clearance.

Kaba said Ghana Airways deserved the opportunity to operate the service into Liberia since it was the first airline to resume normal scheduled flights to his country after the civil war that lasted from the end of 1989 to 1997 and kept up some services even during the war.

``Ghana Airways single-handedly provided services to our country during the conflict. I believe it is the first true candidate to be considered for such a service,'' he added.

Before the war Robertsfield Airport was a main gateway into West Africa for north American passengers.