Kotoka International Airport

The airport is operated by Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL), which has its offices on the airport property. It is the sole international airport in Ghana.

Kotoka International Airport Accra Air Force Station
IATA: ACC ICAO: DGAA
Summary
Airport type	Public
Operator	GACL
Serves	Accra, Greater Accra
Hub for	Africa World Airlines
Time zone	GMT (0+)
Elevation AMSL	205 ft / 62 m
Coordinates	05°36′16.8″N 000°10′02.6″W / 5.604667°N 0.167389°W / 5.604667; -0.167389
Website	gacl.com.gh
Map
ACC Location of the airport in Ghana Show map of Ghana ACC ACC (Africa) Show map of Africa
Runways
Direction Length Surface ft m 03/21 11,165 3,403 Asphalt
Statistics (2023)
Passengers 3,095,676

In 2023, the airport served a record of 3.1 million passengers, a recovery from the 1.2 million in 2020 (reduced due to the COVID-19 pandemic). It presently serves as a hub for domestic and regional operator Africa World Airlines, and a base for domestic operator Passion Air.

The airport consists of two passenger terminals, Terminal 2 and Terminal 3. Terminal 2 serves only domestic flights, while Terminal 3 serves regional, international and long-haul operators. Terminal 1 is presently no longer in use, but will be redeveloped into an FBO. Terminal 3 has the capacity for large aircraft such as the Airbus A380.

The airport has been recognised as the "Best Airport in Africa" (2-5 Million pax per annum) for 2019, 2020 and 2021 by Airports Council International.

The airport was originally a military airport used by the British Royal Air Force during World War II. The facility was handed over to civilian authorities after the war. A development project was launched in 1956 by President Kwame Nkrumah to reconfigure the structure into a terminal building. The project was completed in 1958, turning the military base into an airport with a capacity of 500,000 passengers per year. The airport was originally named Accra International Airport.

In 1969, the Accra International Airport was renamed Kotoka International Airport, in honour of Lieutenant General Emmanuel Kwasi Kotoka (1926–1967), a member of the National Liberation Council. Kotoka was killed in an abortive coup attempt at a location which is now the forecourt of the airport.

Terminal 3

Construction officially commenced on 1 March 2016 on a new $274 million Terminal 3 which is capable of handling 5 million passengers a year, with an expansion potential of up to 6.5 million. The sod cutting was done by President John Dramani Mahama and Turkish President Recep Tayyib Erdogan. The new Terminal 3 will handle 1,250 passengers an hour, equipped with three business lounges, large commercial and retail area and six boarding bridges. The terminal opened to passengers on 15 September 2018.

Controversy over airport name

There has been considerable debate over the years as to whether it was fitting to rename the airport from Accra International Airport to Kotoka International Airport from General Kotoka. Many argue that the airport was built by Nkrumah, and that it is not fitting to name it after Kotoka, who led a coup to overthrow Nkrumah's government.

 

 

 

Passenger

Cargo

 

Kotoka International Airport is served by numerous cargo airlines on a regularly scheduled basis, in addition to ad-hoc cargo flights.

• Air Ghana
• Cargolux
• DHL Aviation
• Emirates SkyCargo
• Ethiopian Airlines Cargo
• Qatar Airways Cargo
• Turkish Cargo

In 2016, Air Ghana opened the Ghana Airport Cargo Center, a 10,000 sq.m dedicated cargo warehouse facility supplemented by 9,000 sq.m of office space, in partnership with Ghana Airports Company Limited and Swissport.

The activity of passengers, cargo and flight movements through the airport each year is given in the table below :

Airport statistics for Kotoka International Airport, by year

Year	Domestic pax	International pax	Transit pax	Total passengers	Aircraft Movements	Cargo (tons)
2010	132,922	1,387,045	117,478	1,637,445	30,104	45,615
2011	199,073	1,586,602	145,760	1,931,435	32,439	50,260
2012	543,379	1,726,051	154,723	2,424,153	36,434	46,577
2013	778,466	1,669,603	162,305	2,610,374	41,934	43,688
2014	719,234	1,650,520	177,773	2,547,527	41,949	54,389
2015	525,440	1,667,675	157,003	2,350,118	37,611	51,325
2016	421,986	1,746,669	213,232	2,381,887	36,349	47,678
2017	483,261	1,811,428	214,650	2,509,339	39,217	50,360
2018	415,158	1,975,803	202,451	2,593,412	39,255	52,390
2019	690,314	2,110,593	218,157	3,019,064	46,966	49,846
2020	423,718	702,651	31,041	1,157,410	25,183	43,428
2021	722,721	1,269,898	117,008	2,109,627	37,870	46,700
2022	852,101	1,800,341	152,905	2,805,347	43,970	38,998
2023	775,662	2,138,999	181,015	3,095,676	43,858	40,774

 

Airport City Accra is an urban development centered around Kotoka International Airport.

The development is promoted by Ghana Airports Company Limited on the principle that airports have ceased to be mere terminals, but rather economic growth outlets to promote trade and generate employment.

Developments within Airport City include retail outlets such as Marina Mall and One Airport Square, hotels such as Accra Marriott Hotel, ibis Styles Accra and Holiday Inn Accra Airport, as well as corporate offices for companies such as Africa World Airlines and Vodafone Ghana. Projects underway include the five-star Pullman Accra Airport City by Accor and the Protea Hotel by Marriott Accra Airport.

International airlines such as American Airlines, Brussels Airlines and Turkish Airlines also have their ticketing and sales offices located within Airport City.

Airport City is expected to host multiple stations on the proposed Accra Sky Train system.

The airport shares its facilities with Air Force Base Accra, an installation of the Ghana Air Force. It hosts a squadron of Airbus C295 transport aircraft, as well as a helicopter squadron with Harbin Z-9 and Mil Mi-17 utility helicopters.

• On 5 June 2000, a Ghana Airlink Fokker F-27 en route from Tamale to Accra crashed on approach to Kotoka International Airport. Six people were killed.
• On 28 January 2009, a Ghana International Airlines Boeing 757 operating from Accra to London Gatwick, United Kingdom, with 96 passengers and nine crew reported anomalies with the control systems when climbing out of Accra. The crew declared a mayday and made a safe return to Kotoka International Airport where the remains of a beetle-like creature were discovered to be obstructing the left pitot system.

• On 2 June 2012, an Allied Air Boeing 727 cargo aircraft operating from Lagos to Accra on behalf of DHL with 4 crew overshot the runway while landing in heavy rain. At least 12 people on the ground were killed. The 4 crew all survived.

 

• On 28 October 2014, a Starbow BAe 146-200 from Accra to Takoradi Airport with 77 people on board suffered a hydraulic failure during climbout. The crew were forced to make an emergency landing in Accra without flaps, resulting in damage to the landing gear and a fire. Two persons were injured in the resulting emergency evacuation. The aircraft was written off.

• On 10 January 2015 an ASKY Airlines Boeing 737-43QSF (leased from Ethiopian Airlines), was damaged beyond repair in a landing accident and runway excursion. The aircraft was written off and there were no fatalities.
• On 25 November 2017, a Starbow ATR 72-500 suffered a runway excursion due to the captain's seat sliding backward during the take-off roll. The aircraft struck the airport perimeter fence before coming to a halt. Five passengers were injured and the aircraft was written off with significant damage.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, domestic flights in Ghana were suspended from 30 March 2020, but resumed on 1 May 2020 under enhanced sanitary protocols. Ghana was the first African country to resume domestic flights after a COVID-related suspension.

The international air borders of Ghana reopened for travelers on 1 September 2020, subject to certain conditions. Passengers were required to undergo a PCR test in their country of origin no more than 72 hours prior to departure, and also undergo a further rapid antigen test upon arrival at Kotoka International Airport. A laboratory was set up at the airport for prompt processing of test results. The cost of the tests were set at US$50 for citizens of ECOWAS countries, and US$150 for all other citizens. Those testing negative on both tests were permitted to enter Ghana without any further quarantine or restrictions, subject to clearance by Ghana Immigration Service.

In February 2021, the process of awarding the contract for testing at the airport to Frontiers Healthcare came under scrutiny for its lack of transparency during the vetting hearings for various ministers appointed to the second cabinet of President Nana Akufo-Addo.

In March 2022, the parliamentary opposition threatened to demonstrate at the airport in protest against the continued high costs for on-arrival testing of passengers. Industry experts also warned that the high costs of testing were likely to suppress passenger numbers for 2022 if not addressed as a priority. In response to this, the testing requirements for fully vaccinated passengers were waived effective 28 March 2022.