Passenger arrivals at KIA drop 10.3% in Q1 2025 – BoG
The Bank of Ghana latest report from passenger arrivals at Kotoka International Airport (KIA) experienced a noticeable decline in March 2025.
A total of 98,146 passengers were recorded at the airport during the month, representing a 10.3% drop compared to the 109,380 arrivals recorded in March 2024.
This year-on-year decrease highlights ongoing challenges in the aviation and tourism sectors, possibly stemming from global economic conditions, regional travel restrictions, or changes in travel behaviour.
Despite this decline on an annual basis, there was a slight improvement in monthly performance.
Passenger arrivals at KIA increased by 2.2% in March compared to February 2025, suggesting a modest recovery in short-term travel demand.
Looking at the broader picture, the total number of passenger arrivals through both Kotoka International Airport and Ghana’s land borders during the first quarter of 2025 amounted to 295,415.
This marks a 4.1% decrease from the 308,024 arrivals recorded during the same period in 2024.
While the drop is relatively moderate, it points to the need for strategic interventions to boost international tourism and business travel into the country.
In contrast to the decline in passenger arrivals, Ghana’s maritime trade showed robust growth during the same period.
Data on international trade activity at the country’s two main seaports, Tema and Takoradi, revealed a significant uptick in container traffic, a key indicator of import and export activity.
In March 2025 alone, total laden container traffic (including both inbound and outbound containers) rose by an impressive 22.0% year-on-year, reaching 73,577 containers.
This substantial increase reflects growing demand for Ghanaian exports as well as a rise in imported goods, signalling renewed momentum in the country’s trade and industrial sectors.
Cumulatively, for the first quarter of 2025, container traffic at the two ports surged by 20.5% year-on-year to 205,145 containers.