History was made yesterday when Emirates Airbus A380 aircraft made a historic touch down at the Kotoka International Airport’s Terminal 3, as a one-off service to the new terminal.

The double-decker has become the first-ever scheduled A380 service to Ghana, demonstrating the airport’s readiness to accommodate the A380, the world’s largest commercial passenger jet.

Perhaps even more interesting is that the special Emirates A380 flight was commanded by Accra-born Ghanaian, Capt Solomon Quainoo and UAE national, First Officer Faisal Alhammadi.

Onboard the A380 flight were top dignitaries including Orhan Abbas, Emirates’ Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations - Africa and H.E. Ahmed Ramadan – Ambassador of Ghana to the UAE.

On landing at Kotoka International Airport, the aircraft was met with a ceremonial water cannon salute, and the delegation was welcomed by government officials and airport executives. 

After the welcoming ceremony, government officials, VIPs, media and members of the travel industry were given a guided tour of the A380 by Emirates cabin crew.

The A380 to Accra operated in a 3-class with 426 seats in Economy Class on the main deck, 76 flat-bed seats in Business Class and 14 First Class Private Suites on the upper deck.

Emirates’ A380 is renowned for its First Class Private Suites, Shower Spas and Onboard Lounge offering a wide range of drinks and canapés, as well as space to socialise or simply relax.

Emirates commenced operations to Ghana in January 2004 and flies to Accra daily from Dubai. Close to 1.6 million passengers have flown the Dubai – Accra route since its start.

This year marks the Emirates A380’s 10th anniversary, and the iconic aircraft has transformed flying over 96 million passengers on over 106,000 flights.