We are committed to Ghanaian market despite recent events – Delta Air Lines

Delta Air Lines says it is committed to ensuring safe and reliable transport of Ghanaian passengers between Accra and New York JFK, despite recent events that have led to the barring of one of its aircraft from flying into Ghana.

In a statement issued in Accra on Wednesday, August 24, 2022, the US-based airlines said it has already changed the aircraft in question (N-195DN) on the JFK-Accra route and is using other aircraft from their fleet to service the route.

“Delta confirms it is fully compliant with directives outlined by the Ghanaian Civil Aviation Authorities. We continue to be in contact with aviation stakeholders in Ghana to reiterate our commitment to offering the highest levels of safety and industry-leading service to Ghanaian consumers. Delta continues to operate a normal schedule between Accra and New York JFK,” the airline said in a statement.

Background to barring of Delta Air Lines’ aircraft N-195DN

Delta Airlines’ aircraft with registration number N-195DN has been temporarily banned from flying into Ghana by the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority. The decision contained in a letter dated August 19, 2022 that was addressed to the accountable manager of the airline, follows two incidents on the said aircraft on JFK- Accra bound flights. On August 1st, 2022 the said aircraft with registration number N195DN was forced to return to the gate due to a technical problem, prompting an investigation by the GCAA.

The investigation revealed that the crew reported a fuel imbalance with the left main tank. It came to light that the inbound crew reported a fuel imbalance issue when the flight left JFK to Accra on 31st July 2022.

“This was the same aircraft that had to return to JFK on 25th July 2022 a few hours after take-off from JFK and which was widely reported on in various media outlets,” portions of the letter to Delta said. The GCAA noted that given the history of the aircraft Delta Airlines would have thoroughly investigated the issue to arrive at the root cause of the failure before dispatching the aircraft on flights. Rather, the aircraft was flown within the United States a number of times and then dispatched again to Accra, only for the problem to reoccur. the Authority finds this unacceptable” hence the temporary denial of Delta aircraft with registration number N-195DN entry into Ghana,” the GCAA added.