Ethiopian Airlines, not FAAN banned Ghana-Must-Go bags

BrandPower Magazine 02/12/2023Last Updated: 02/12/2023

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Ethiopian Airlines, not FAAN banned, Ghana-Must-Go bags Amid media buzz surrounding the status of Ghana-must-go bags, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has clarified that the ban on the ubiquitous “Ghana-must-go” bags was issued by Ethiopian Airlines and not the Federal Government.

FAAN made this clarification in a terse post on its X handle on Friday, responding to a report making the rounds on the ban of “Ghana must go” bags in Nigeria’s Airports.

FAAN, Nigeria’s airport regulatory agency said the purported circular was from Ethiopian Airlines to its customers, “The Ban is from Ethiopian Airlines, not FAAN or the Federal Government of Nigeria”, FAAN posted.

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Meanwhile, the circular from Ethiopian Airlines informed its customers of restrictions on the usage of Ghana-must-go bags.

“We would like to inform you of a restriction regarding using irregularly shaped packages on Ethiopian Airlines Flights. It is strictly prohibited to bring “Ghana must go” bags unless they are adequately packed in a carton or hardcover rectangular container”, the circular said.

BBC reports that the luggage got the nickname in Nigeria in the 1980s, when hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants, many of whom were Ghanaian, were expelled.

People fled with the red-and-blue checked bags on their backs.

Now, the airline says, the ubiquitous carriers, a favourite of traders, can badly affect airport equipment.

In a statement Ethiopia Airlines said the ban was introduced because of “the frequent occurrence of damages to the conveyor belts at various airports, resulting in significant costs incurred by the airlines involved”.

There is an exception. The bags could be used if they were “adequately packed in a carton or hardcover rectangular container”.

Ethiopia Airlines operates several domestic and regional routes out of Nigeria’s commercial hub, Lagos.

The bags are very popular across Africa, and much of the rest of the world, and can be seen in many airports.

They also go by different names. In Kenya, for example, they are known as Nigeria bags, and Zimbabweans call them Botswana bags.

In 2017 KLM and Air France, imposed a ban because they said the bags could unravel and clog up baggage delivery systems.