Int’l air passenger throughput on track for strong 2024 performance

Ghana's international air passenger throughput reached 1.74 million as of the third quarter of 2024, surpassing 2022 figures but slightly trailing 2023 levels.

Historically, fourth-quarter travel volumes spike due to festive-season activities and tourism, suggesting a potential year-end boost. Initiatives like ‘December in GH’, under the ‘Beyond the Return’ committee, aim to attract 1.3 million visitors, strengthening the recovery momentum.

From 2016 to 2019, Ghana’s aviation sector experienced steady growth, with international throughput increasing from 1.75 million to 2.11 million. The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 caused a sharp decline to 702,651 passengers, but recovery began in 2021.

Passenger traffic rebounded to 1.27 million in 2021, 1.8 million in 2022, and 2.14 million in 2023, nearing pre-pandemic levels.

Domestically, air passenger throughput as of Q3 2024 stood at 623,704. Pre-pandemic domestic travel grew from 421,986 in 2016 to 690,314 in 2019, driven by infrastructure improvements and economic activity.

The pandemic caused a drop to 423,718 in 2020, but recovery surged to 852,101 in 2022, before declining to 775,662 in 2023.

With strong fourth-quarter trends, both domestic and international travel are poised to end 2024 on a positive note.