Yakubu Tali International Airport · IATA TML · ICAO DGLE · Northern Region · Checked October 2026
Tamale has everything an international airport needs: a runway long enough for jumbo jets, a brand-new terminal, its own Hajj terminal, and the word "International" in its name. What it does not have is a single scheduled flight abroad. Its real job is the one it does very well: the shuttle to Accra, several times a day, and the gateway to the whole of northern Ghana, from Mole's elephants to Bolga's markets. Here is what flies, when, and how to make the most of it.
Key facts
Accra–Tamale is Ghana's second-busiest domestic route after Kumasi. Between them, the two airlines fly from early morning to early evening.
| Airline | Examples (local time) | How often | Aircraft |
|---|---|---|---|
| Africa World Airlines | Several departures a day in each direction, for example Tamale → Accra about 11:00 → 12:00 | Several times daily | Embraer regional jets |
| Passion Air | Accra → Tamale 06:00 → 07:20; Tamale → Accra 07:50 → 09:10; an evening flight to Accra on many days | About twice daily | Dash 8 Q400 |
Read this before booking
Times come from published schedules and flight logs in 2026. Both airlines change times and frequencies often. Always check your date on flyafricaworld.com or flypassionair.com. Some booking sites sell AWA flights under partner codes such as Q4 (Euroairlines); it is the same aircraft. There is no direct flight from Tamale to Kumasi, Takoradi, Wa or Sunyani: everything goes through Accra.
Africa World Airlines guide Passion Air guide Accra International Airport
The weather in Tamale at this moment, the time in Ghana, and a converter between cedis and the main currencies.
The weather matters here
Tamale has one rainy season, roughly May to October, and a long dry season. From December to February the Harmattan wind brings dust down from the Sahara: cool mornings, hazy skies, and sometimes reduced visibility that can delay flights. March and April are the hottest months, often near 40 °C in the afternoon.
The airfield at Tamale was established in December 1940, during the Second World War, as a landing ground for military troops, part of the same war effort that turned Takoradi into the start of the air route across Africa. It was run for decades by the Ghana Air Force, which still has a base here; civil aviation staff took over air traffic control and fire services later.
Tamale had its first taste of international traffic during the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations, when direct flights came in from Angola, South Africa and Tunisia. A first expansion phase began in 2014, lengthening and strengthening the runway, and in August 2016 the airport handled its first Hajj flights to Saudi Arabia. A second phase began in July 2019: a new terminal designed for 400,000 passengers a year, a separate multi-purpose Hajj terminal finished in 2022, and new access roads. All flights moved into the new terminal on 31 July 2023.
In 2024 the government renamed the airport Yakubu Tali International Airport, after the Tolon Naa Yakubu Tali, one of the north's leading figures in the years around independence.
For a few weeks every year Tamale becomes a truly international airport. Pilgrims from the northern regions, and from across the border in Burkina Faso, no longer have to travel to Accra: chartered jumbo jets fly them directly from Tamale to Saudi Arabia. In 2026 the National Hajj Board began the airlift on 1 May, with outbound flights until 8 May and return flights from 3 to 14 June, supported by Air Force Base Tamale.
For ordinary travellers
Hajj flights are charters for registered pilgrims only, booked through the National Hajj Board. During the Hajj weeks the airport and the town are especially busy, so book domestic flights and hotels early.
When the new terminal opened, politicians promised that Tamale would become a hub for flights to the Sahel, to Burkina Faso and Mali, and to the rest of West Africa. Three years later no airline flies there from abroad. The reasons are the same ones we see across Ghana: not enough passengers who can pay international fares, strong competition from Accra's long list of airlines, and a Sahel next door that is troubled by insecurity. Airlines go where the passengers are, and the passengers still change planes in Accra.
Our view
Unlike Ho, Tamale is a real airport with real traffic. It does not need an international route to justify itself; it needs its domestic service to stay reliable and affordable. If international flights come, we will add them here the day tickets go on sale.
Accra to Tamale by road is about 600 km, ten to twelve hours by bus via Kumasi and Kintampo. Overnight buses run daily. From Tamale, Bolgatanga is two and a half to three hours north, Mole National Park about three hours west, and Wa five to six hours north-west.
Tamale is the north's biggest city and the capital of the old kingdom of Dagbon: a busy, largely Muslim city of markets, mosques and motorbikes. From here, the north opens up: elephants in Mole, the ancient mosque of Larabanga, the slave market of Salaga, the palaces of Yendi and Nalerigu, and the Upper East and Upper West beyond.
Tours across Northern Ghana, including Tamale and Mole National Park. Entrance fees are included in the tour price; tips are not included but always welcome.
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Updated and fact-checked: 28 October 2026. Flight times from published schedules and flight logs in 2026; passenger figures from the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority; history from Ghana Airports Company and the Ghana Armed Forces. Schedules change; always confirm with the airline before booking. Text and research by Remo Kurka for GhanaFlights.info. This website carries no Google advertising.