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New direct services from Entebbe to Accra on Uganda Airlines, combined with Etihad Airways’ deepening partnerships with Ghana-based carriers, are poised to turn Accra into an even more critical bridge for tourism and trade between West and East Africa and the Gulf.
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Uganda Airlines Targets Accra as a West African Gateway
Uganda Airlines has confirmed the launch of nonstop flights from Entebbe to Accra, with services scheduled to begin on 27 October 2026, as part of a wider push to expand its African network. The carrier is introducing Accra alongside Kigali, positioning both routes as key links in a strategy to build Entebbe into a connecting hub for regional and long-haul traffic.
According to published coverage, the new flights are designed to tap into fast-growing trade and tourism flows between Uganda and West Africa, and to offer additional options beyond existing routings that often require connections through other African hubs. Reports indicate that Uganda Airlines has recently focused on improving schedule reliability and aligning timetables so that arrivals from long-haul destinations such as London, Dubai and Mumbai can connect more smoothly to African cities, including future services to Accra.
Information on the airline’s network plans and destination pages shows Accra listed among Uganda Airlines’ “coming soon” points, reinforcing the role of the Ghanaian capital as a strategic addition to the carrier’s West African footprint. Industry commentary notes that Accra is expected to unlock new opportunities in cargo, particularly for perishables and high-value exports moving between East Africa and Ghana’s ports and logistics corridors.
The Entebbe–Accra link also complements Uganda Airlines’ broader westbound push, which already includes service to Lagos. With Accra and Lagos both in the schedule, the airline will be able to offer more triangular and connecting itineraries for business travelers, leisure visitors and traders moving between Uganda, West Africa and the wider region.
Etihad Builds African Access Through Ghana-Based Partners
While Uganda Airlines prepares to open its own route to Accra, Etihad Airways has been reinforcing its African presence through a series of partnership agreements, including a recent memorandum of understanding with Ghana-based Africa World Airlines. Etihad’s July 2026 announcement outlined plans for cooperation across interline and codeshare arrangements, cargo collaboration and loyalty programs, with the framework signed in Accra.
Publicly available information suggests that, once implemented, the Etihad–Africa World Airlines partnership will allow passengers arriving on Etihad services to continue on a single ticket from Accra to domestic and regional destinations across Ghana and West Africa. Africa World Airlines has spent more than a decade building short-haul connectivity from Accra to key cities in the subregion, and the new agreement is expected to feed more long-haul traffic from Abu Dhabi into that network.
Etihad has also highlighted that its July partnership drive extended beyond Ghana, with agreements in markets such as Zimbabwe and Nigeria, underlining a broader ambition to strengthen access to African destinations without necessarily operating its own aircraft on every route. Industry summaries of Etihad’s partnerships emphasize that the carrier relies on a mix of codeshare and interline deals on the continent, complementing its own flights with local operators that can provide higher-frequency regional coverage.
Taken together, Etihad’s partnership strategy and Uganda Airlines’ new services position Accra as a focal point where Gulf long-haul traffic, East African travelers and West African feeder routes can intersect. Although Uganda Airlines and Etihad have not announced a direct partnership, their separate moves into and around Accra are contributing to a more connected aviation ecosystem centered on Ghana.
Accra’s Growing Role in Ghana’s Tourism and Trade Strategy
Accra’s Kotoka International Airport has been steadily consolidating its role as Ghana’s main gateway, handling more than 3.4 million passengers in 2024 according to data linked to the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority. The airport serves as a hub for local carriers and an entry point for an expanding list of African, European and Middle Eastern airlines.
Ghanaian government reports show that international tourist arrivals have rebounded strongly over the past few years, climbing from just over 620,000 visitors in 2021 to more than 1.28 million by 2024. The Ghana Tourism Authority and the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture attribute this growth to targeted marketing campaigns, visa facilitation measures and improved air access, particularly through Accra.
Recent tourism profiles indicate that visitors from the United States, Nigeria and the United Kingdom account for a significant share of arrivals, with growing interest from markets such as Germany, India and China. Many of these travelers rely on long-haul or multi-stop itineraries that connect through regional hubs, making additional links offered by Uganda Airlines and Etihad’s African partners highly relevant to Ghana’s ambitions to diversify source markets and encourage repeat visits.
On the trade side, Accra’s expanding air connectivity is viewed as complementary to Ghana’s role in the African Continental Free Trade Area, whose secretariat is headquartered in the city. Improved passenger and cargo links between Ghana, East Africa and the Gulf are expected to support sectors ranging from agribusiness and manufacturing to services, as companies seek faster and more reliable ways to move goods and people across the continent.
Tourism, Cargo and Business Travel Poised to Benefit
Industry watchers point out that direct flights between Entebbe and Accra are likely to stimulate new tourism itineraries that combine East African safari circuits with Ghana’s cultural and heritage attractions. Travelers from North America, Europe and the Middle East may find it easier to design multi-country African trips when they can connect via a single hub to both Uganda and Ghana, using a mix of Uganda Airlines, Etihad and partner services.
Cargo operators and exporters also stand to benefit from the additional capacity and routing options. Uganda’s outbound trade, including agricultural products and textiles, can leverage faster air connections into Ghana, which in turn offers access to West African land and sea routes. For Ghanaian businesses, improved links to East Africa can open new markets for processed foods, manufactured goods and professional services.
Business travel between Kampala, Accra and Abu Dhabi is forecast by analysts to grow in tandem with these new links. Conference and investment traffic related to energy, infrastructure, fintech and creative industries increasingly requires multi-city travel across Africa and the Gulf, and aviation planners note that networks built around Accra and Entebbe can capture a share of this demand.
Longer term, the combined effect of Uganda Airlines’ entry into the Accra market and Etihad’s deepening partnerships with Ghana-based carriers may encourage other airlines to revisit their West Africa strategies. With Accra traffic volumes rising and Ghana’s tourism and trade indicators trending upward, the city is emerging as a test case for how African and Gulf carriers can use collaborative models to accelerate regional growth.
Stronger Connectivity Underpins Ghana’s Wider Economic Plans
The acceleration of links through Accra aligns with Ghana’s broader efforts to use tourism and aviation as levers for economic development. National development reports describe tourism as a “vital pillar” of the economy, citing both the sharp recovery in international arrivals and an increase in the number of developed tourist sites and licensed accommodation providers in recent years.
Analysts argue that enhanced air service connectivity is critical for sustaining this trajectory, particularly as Ghana promotes initiatives focused on heritage, diaspora engagement and regional business events. Reliable, direct or one-stop air routes make it easier for high-spend visitors and investors to reach secondary cities and new attractions beyond Accra, which can distribute tourism benefits more evenly across the country.
In this context, the interplay between Uganda Airlines’ decision to link Entebbe and Accra, and Etihad’s strategy of building partnerships with Ghana-based and regional carriers, is seen as part of a wider shift in African aviation. Instead of isolated point-to-point routes, airlines are increasingly using alliances, interline deals and carefully timed schedules to create corridor-style networks that underpin tourism, trade and investment flows.
As these developments progress, Accra’s role as a connector between East and West Africa, and between the continent and the Gulf, appears set to strengthen. For Ghana’s tourism and trade sectors, that connectivity is becoming as important an asset as the country’s natural and cultural attractions.
Uganda Airlines launches flights to Accra and Kigali
Etihad Airways strengthens its African network with three partnerships in July