Did Mahama fly commercial or private? Flight records reveal the truth behind Japan trip

Controversy has trailed President John Mahama’s departure from Accra on Sunday, August 17, 2025, for his official visits to Japan and Singapore.

While the Presidency announced that the trip was to deepen bilateral ties and attract investment, opposition MP Vincent Ekow Assafuah has alleged that the President boarded a private jet, a Bombardier Challenger 605 with registration M-BAEP, sparking a heated public debate.

Flight-tracking data, however, tells a different story. Records from FlightRadar show that the Challenger 605 in question left Accra on the same day but flew to Berlin, Germany, where it has remained since August 17. This fact alone undermines claims that the President used the jet for his Asian tour.

Adding to the mix, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, MP and government spokesperson , clarified that President Mahama did not fly on a private jet but instead boarded a regular Emirates commercial service. Further flight data gives weight to his claim.

The Emirates Connection

Emirates operates a structured daily service between Accra (ACC) and Dubai (DXB). The B777 EK 787 flight departs Dubai each morning, arriving in Accra before midday. Its return service, EK 788, departs Accra at around 6:00 p.m. local time, landing in Dubai by 6:15 a.m. the next day.

On August 17, 2025, this schedule was upheld. According to FlightRadar, EK 788 left Accra at 6:16 p.m., slightly behind schedule, and landed in Dubai at 6:16 a.m. on August 18, almost exactly on time. This flight provided a seamless connection for onward travel from Dubai to Asia.

Two days later, on August 19, the President was sighted in Tokyo, Japan, after arriving aboard Emirates A380 Flight EK 318, which flies the Dubai–Tokyo Narita (NRT) route. Flight data confirms EK 318 departed from Dubai, not Accra, meaning the President must have first traveled on EK 788 from Accra to Dubai before connecting to Tokyo.

Why the Confusion?

The controversy over President Mahama’s travel has deeper political roots. Much of the suspicion stems from the precedent set during the Akufo-Addo administration, when the then-opposition (today’s governing party) strongly criticized the President for repeatedly hiring private jets instead of using Ghana’s presidential aircraft, the Dassault Falcon 900EX.

At the time, opposition figures insisted President Akufo-Addo should rely on the state’s own jet, describing private charter use as wasteful and unnecessary. The government of the day, however, maintained that the Falcon was “unfit for purpose.”

Yet, the evidence aligns:
*M-BAEP was not in Tokyo or Singapore; it was in Berlin.
*EK 788 departed Accra on the exact day the President was scheduled to leave and arrived in Dubai the following morning.
*EK 318 brought the President into Tokyo from Dubai on August 19.

Taken together, these flight movements strongly suggest that President Mahama indeed flew on an Emirates commercial service, not on a private jet, for the first leg of his journey.

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