INtrouction
Welcome back to my West African Series
As this year is the 'Year of Return', Ghana is welcoming all persons of African descent back to the shores of the nation. It is a year long event marking 400 years since the first slave ship left Africa for the Americas. Ghana has been on my list for ages and I could not have chosen a better time to go.
As I booked my flights to Ghana, coincidentally Emirates sent me an email saying my miles would be expiring June 30, 2019. I decided to do some research and realized the best way to not let these miles go to waste was to book an intra-african route between Accra, Ghana and Abidjan, Cote d'ivore. The entire Emirates route is : DXB-ACC-ABJ-ACC-DXB using a Boeing 777-300ER. The ACC-ABJ route is also operated by Air
Cote d'Ivore, South African, EgyptAir and Middle East Airlines.
The flight was a 40 minute flight and despite it being short, my shortest flight on a 777 was between Trinidad and Barbados on BA 772.
Flight routing
- 1
- 2
- 3ACC-ABJ
- 4ABJ-ACC
- 5ACC-LHR
- 6LHR-JFK
- 7EWR-YUL
- 8YUL-YTZ
booking
Each way a flight was worth 8,750 miles which wasn't bad for such a short flight.
checkin and terminal
Arriving at Kokota airport around 11am, the airport was busy as the midday flights to other West African states were operating.
The new terminal looks great during the day light hours.
Kokota airport does not offer any adequate food options behind security so the airport staff recommended trying the restaurants on the second floor of the terminal. The food was GREAT.
Afternoon departures from Kokota. There were about 3 5th freedom flights operating today, SN, KQ and EK.
As the terminal is relatively new, more shopping options were being constructed.
Our aircraft had arrived from Duabi and was being serviced.
KQ to Monrovia & ET to Addis Adaba.
Aircraft : Boeing 777-36NER
Registration: A6-EBE
Age: 13.8 Years
Layout: F12C42Y310
Our aircraft waiting to depart for our 40 minute flight.
inflight
This cabin operating this route was the old one and seat pitch was pretty good. My seat however was dirty but I assume this occurred on the incoming flight.
To our surprise we pushed back early as everyone was on board. My view was slightly obscured due to the dirty window but I tried my best to get the best pictures.
Upwind RWY 21
We made an almost immediate bank to the right and flew parallel to the coastline.
Though a short flight, Emirates offered a snack tray with cake, a cheese sandwich and water. It was a nice addition.
IFE display
descent & arrival
About 20 minutes in, descent came around. There was not a clear view from the window.
Through the clouds, the lush Ivorian forests could be seen.
The outskirts of Abidjan appear just as we enter our final approach.
We pulled into the gate at Aéroport Félix Houphouët Boigny and met a Mauritiana Airlines 737-700.
Our A/C at the gate about to get prepared for the flight back to DXB via ACC.
Customs & Immigration took about an hour but we were soon on our way.
The route thanks to Flightrad
Gotta love 5th freedom flights!
That is true!
Thanks for this FR.
A great way to try out EK indeed, I wish it were possible in Europe.
How was the load on that short flight? Nicely presented snack!
You're welcome man. The load was about 30% as most people get off in Accra!
Hey JAZ350!
Thanks a lot for being the very first member here to cover Accra airport. It's even better since you departed from the new terminal! IIRC it was inaugurated in December 18. Infrastructure development is a key sector for African states to make up the delay with other countries. This terminal is well designed and airy!
EK is ranked first for 5th freedom in Africa as a non African carrier. Are you sure about SN 5th freedom rights between ACC and LFW (lome)? I've tried a few dummy bookings on several days and none of them would show up Brussels Airlines.... ?
5 years ago I flew Lusaka - Harare with EK (similar flying time), meal was very similar and crew amazing ( It is only published on the French section of Flight-report.com though!) ?
Going to read the return leg right now...
You're welcome. Even my report doesn't do the airport any justice. Its extremely efficient and easily accessible. It reminds me of Pearson Terminal 1 in respect to the check in area. In regards to the SN flight, it seems as if the airline does not have traffic rights between the two cities and it's just a continuation from BRU. Its not surpassing that EK is ranked #1 though!
Cool report JAZ350 on an exotic route on an overall exotic and seemingly meaningful trip! I had no idea that EK operated this route (seems to be lots of competition on the route). I love that EK flies these kinds of tag-on and 5th freedom flights all over the world. Good use of miles, for a fun AvGeek experience. A snack tray with a sandwich on a 40 minute flight, impressive.
Thanks for sharing!
Thanks and you're welcome! I was also surprised that they operated the route and also allowed bookings to be done between the two cities. The snack tray was a great addition as compared to my other 30-45 min B777 flights where only a beverage was offered.
Hi! Thanks for sharing this. Lovely 5th freedom flight to a destination I know quite well. Hope you enjoyed your time there as much as in the air.
Emirates is a very good option on this route (and beyond) with a pretty neat service. A shame for the dirty seat. Couldn't you just change row?
Arrival at this time is usually smoother than early evening when most long-haul aircraft arrive from Europe but 1 hour to get through customs/immigration is still a long wait. Time for me to catch up with the rest of your trip!