CAF Official Explains Why Black Stars Travelled to Ivory Coast on Ghana Air Force Plane
- The Black Stars arrived in Bouake, Ivory Coast, aboard a Ghana Air Force military transport plane ahead of their AFCON 2027 qualifier
- Ghana face Ivory Coast on Thursday, September 25, 2026 at the Peace Stadium in Bouake in a Group C opener
- The unusual choice of aircraft sparked questions on social media, with a CAF official stepping in to explain the decision
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Ghana's Black Stars touched down in Bouake, Ivory Coast on Tuesday ahead of their opening 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against the host nation, travelling aboard a Ghana Air Force military transport plane rather than the usual chartered commercial flight.
The team flew in on an Airbus Casa C-295 military transport aircraft with the call sign GHF550, which carries up to 51 passengers in a high-density configuration.
Source: Twitter
The Ghana Football Association confirmed the aircraft transported 18 players along with other crew members directly to Bouake.
Ghana are in Group C alongside Ivory Coast, Gambia and Somalia. The top two teams in the group will qualify for the tournament co-hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.
Their opening fixture against the Elephants is scheduled for Thursday, September 25, 2026, at the Peace Stadium in Bouake, kicking off at 7 PM GMT.
Why Ghana chose a military plane
The decision to use an Air Force aircraft drew attention on social media, prompting Ibrahim Sannie Daara, a CAF Media officer and former GFA Communications Director, to offer a detailed explanation.
“The match is in Bouaké, in central Côte d'Ivoire, rather than Abidjan, where most int'l flights arrive… the airport there [Bouaké] is not as active and advanced as the one in Abidjan,” Daara wrote on X.
He added that "a direct flight by the Air Force plane to Bouaké cuts out a lengthy onward journey by road, cuts down cost, a complicated flight connection and is able to land easily in tough terrain," and said the arrangement "helped the players to arrive quicker, fresher and with less travel stress before the crucial AFCON qualifier against Côte d'Ivoire."
The move reflects a practical logistical calculation: flying commercial to Abidjan and then travelling overland to Bouake would have added considerable time and fatigue ahead of one of Ghana's most demanding group-stage assignments.
Ghanaian journalist Godwin Tagoe confirmed exclusively to Legit.ng that this arrangement is not new and has been in use for a while.
“That's how they've been travelling for some time now. To avoid jet lag and stopovers. They move in the military aircraft for away games,” he said.
Osimhen lands in Nigeria on private jet
Legit.ng previously reported that Victor Osimhen arrived in Nigeria on a private jet despite withdrawing from the Super Eagles squad for the AFCON 2027 qualifier.
Osimhen flew from Turkey to Lagos in the company of Benin and Besiktas star Junior Olaitan, who will link up with his teammates in Cotonou.
Source: Legit.ng
