Accra Airport Guide: Kotoka, Terminal 3 and a New Name
Accra Airport, long known as Kotoka International, is Ghana's main gateway. Terminal 3, the runway, airlines, routes, transport and future plans.
By The Aviation Hub
5 min read
Updated October 20, 2026 
Accra Airport sits in the heart of Ghana’s capital, surrounded by hotels, offices and the busy Airport City district. Known for more than half a century as Kotoka International Airport, it reverted to the name Accra International Airport in February 2026. It is Ghana’s main international gateway and handled a record 3.6 million passengers in 2025. A modern terminal opened in 2018 has made it one of West Africa’s more comfortable airports to use.
Accra Airport at a Glance
The IATA code is ACC and the ICAO code is DGAA. The airport lies about 4 miles (7 km) north east of central Accra, at an elevation of 205 feet (62 m). It has one runway and two active passenger terminals. Accra Airport handled 3,624,087 passengers in 2025, including 903,227 domestic and 2,539,034 international travellers, along with 47,262 aircraft movements and about 46,400 tonnes of cargo.
Ghana Airports Company Limited runs the field from offices on the site. Africa World Airlines uses it as a hub and Passion Air has a base here. The site is shared with Air Force Base Accra. Flight information is on the airport’s official website.
How Accra’s Airport Came to Be
The airport began as a Royal Air Force base during the Second World War and passed to civilian control after the war. In 1956, on the eve of independence, Kwame Nkrumah launched a project to turn it into a proper civil airport. The terminal was completed in 1958 with capacity for 500,000 passengers a year.
In 1969 the field was renamed after Lieutenant General Emmanuel Kwasi Kotoka, who was killed during an abortive coup in 1967 on what is now the airport forecourt. The name was always contentious, since Kotoka had helped overthrow Nkrumah’s government, and many argued the airport should honour Nkrumah instead. On 23 February 2026 it reverted to Accra International Airport.
Traffic grew steadily through the 2000s and 2010s, outstripping the old buildings. Terminal 3 opened to passengers on 15 September 2018 and was inaugurated on 2 October. Airports Council International named Accra Airport the best in Africa in its two to five million passenger category for 2019, 2020 and 2021.
Runways at Accra Airport
There is one runway, 03/21, with an asphalt surface measuring 3,403 metres (11,165 feet) long and an unusually wide 61 metres. The length allows long haul wide bodies, including the Airbus A380, to operate without difficulty. The runway runs roughly south west to north east, with the city pressed close around both ends.
Tropical downpours make for slippery conditions in the rainy seasons. On 2 June 2012 an Allied Air Boeing 727 freighter overshot the runway in heavy rain and killed at least 12 people on the road beyond. On 10 January 2015 an ASKY Boeing 737 was written off in a runway excursion, and on 25 November 2017 a Starbow ATR 72 left the runway on takeoff, injuring five passengers.
Terminals and Airlines
Terminal 3 at Accra Airport handles regional, international and long haul flights. It cost $274 million, can process 1,250 passengers an hour and has three business lounges and six boarding bridges, and it can handle the A380. Terminal 2 handles domestic flights only. The original Terminal 1 is out of use and is due to become a business aviation centre.
Long haul carriers include British Airways to London Heathrow, KLM to Amsterdam, Brussels Airlines to Brussels, and Delta and United to the United States. Emirates, Qatar Airways and Turkish Airlines connect the Gulf and Istanbul, while Ethiopian, Kenya Airways, EgyptAir and Royal Air Maroc link their African hubs. ASKY and Africa World Airlines dominate West African routes, and Passion Air flies domestically.
Routes and Destinations
Lagos is a key regional route from Accra Airport, linking West Africa’s two great commercial cities, with Abidjan, Lome, Monrovia and Freetown close behind. Domestic flights serve Kumasi, Tamale, Takoradi and other regional cities, saving many hours on the road. London, Amsterdam, Brussels and the United States carry business travellers and Ghana’s large diaspora.
December and the Easter holidays bring traffic peaks, as Ghanaians abroad return home. Cargo is important, with Cargolux, DHL Aviation, Emirates SkyCargo, Ethiopian Airlines Cargo, Qatar Airways Cargo and Turkish Cargo all serving the field. The Ghana Airport Cargo Center opened in 2016 with a 10,000 square metre warehouse, handling exports such as cocoa products and fresh produce.
Getting to and from Accra Airport
There is no rail link, so the road does the work. Taxis wait outside arrivals and ride hailing apps such as Uber and Bolt operate widely, usually the cheapest sensible option for visitors. Journey times to central Accra range from 20 minutes to more than an hour, because traffic in the city is heavy at peak times.
The airport sits off Liberation Road, close to the Tetteh Quarshie interchange and the motorway towards Tema. Tro tro minibuses run along the main roads nearby but are crowded and difficult with luggage. Many hotels, including those in Airport City, offer transfers. Parking is available in front of both active terminals, and a proposed SkyTrain would link Airport City with the wider city.
Spotting and Photography
Accra Airport offers a good mix of African, European and Gulf airlines, plus freighters and occasional military movements. The upper floors of hotels in Airport City give elevated views across the field, and Terminal 3’s departure areas look out over the apron. Afternoon thunderstorms in the rainy season can produce dramatic skies.
Photography needs care. The field shares its site with Air Force Base Accra, home to Airbus C295 transports and helicopters, so photographing military areas is forbidden. Stay well back from fences and gates, carry identification and stop at once if police or soldiers ask.
What Comes Next
Airport City continues to grow, with Marina Mall, the Accra Marriott, ibis Styles and Holiday Inn already open and more hotels planned. The proposed SkyTrain would ease the traffic jams that plague journeys to the terminal. Terminal 3 still has spare capacity, so the near term focus is on attracting more airlines.
The return of the Accra name in 2026 marks a symbolic fresh start. The verdict: Accra Airport is well placed to grow as a West African gateway, but road congestion and competition from Lagos and Abidjan will test it. Explore other African hubs on the Airports of the World map.
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