Beginning June 4, North American Airlines will offer weekly nonstop service to West Africa from Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport.
The jets will fly directly to Banjul, Gambia, and continue on to Accra, Ghana.
Coach tickets will cost about $1,300 round-trip if purchased through the North American Airlines Web site, said Steve Forsyth, a spokesman for the airline. The airline also plans to have introductory fares for about $999 for the first few flights.
Lt. Gov. Michael Steele praised the new service, saying, “the global economy demands direct international links between West Africa and the state of Maryland and our nation?s capital.”
Steele said the service will provide an estimated $20 million for Maryland. Furthermore, the significant number of people in the Baltimore/Washington area who come from West Africa will benefit from the new flights, he said.
North American Airlines will operate one weekly nonstop flight from BWI to Banjul, continuing to Accra, using a Boeing 767-300ER aircraft. The jets can hold about 270 passengers, according to Forsyth.
Flights from BWI to Banjul will depart at 11:55 p.m. The flight lasts about seven and a half hours, according to Maryland Aviation Administration spokesman Jonathan Dean.
North American flights from Banjul will arrive at 8:45 p.m. Dean said the return flights are slightly longer than the outbound flights.
Forsyth said North American Airlines knew there was a “strong market demand” at BWI Marshall for service to West Africa.
“We have been very successful with it out of JFK,” Forsyth said. “We believe it will be successful [at BWI].”
