Open-Jaw Flights: Fly London→Lagos, Home Accra→London (and Why It's Cheaper Than You Think)

The short answer: an open-jaw flight lets you book flights to Lagos and fly home from Accra to London on a single ticket, with a short Lagos–Accra hop in the middle. Airlines typically price it on a half-round-trip basis, so it often costs little more than a standard return — and it is the smartest way to visit family in both Nigeria and Ghana in one trip (fares checked 9 October 2026).

What an open-jaw flight actually is

An open-jaw ticket is a round-trip-style booking where your arrival and departure airports do not match. There are two common versions. A destination open jaw means you fly from your home airport to one destination and return home from a different one — for example, London to Lagos, then Accra to London. An origin open jaw reverses the idea, starting and ending at different home airports.

Airlines price these through the multi-city search tool, not the round-trip tab. That matters: booking two separate one-way international tickets is often much more expensive than asking the airline to price the itinerary as one trip. On a single open-jaw ticket you get one booking reference, one consistent baggage rule, and connection protection on the long-haul legs — things two separate one-way bookings cannot give you.

Why London–Lagos / Accra–London is the natural open-jaw pairing

Lagos and Accra are about 400 kilometres apart, with a direct hop of just over an hour between them — yet each anchors one of the busiest UK–West Africa routes. Thousands of UK travellers have family in both Nigeria and Ghana, and the two capitals share a season: Detty December pulls the diaspora home to both countries at the same time. Instead of two trips, or one trip plus a backtrack, the open jaw follows the natural shape of the journey: land in Lagos, hop across to Accra, fly home from there.

Both long-haul legs are well served from London. British Airways flies direct from Heathrow to both Lagos and Accra (daily to Accra on the A350-1000, about 6h 40m), and Virgin Atlantic flies direct Heathrow–Lagos. That means both ends of your open jaw can be nonstop — no connections, no December-weather connection risk.

How airlines price open-jaw tickets (the part that surprises people)

Airlines do not simply add two expensive one-way fares together. The industry practice is to price each leg at roughly half the round-trip price for that route, then combine the two halves into one ticket. So a London–Lagos / Accra–London open jaw prices out at roughly half a London–Lagos return plus half a London–Accra return.

Because UK–Lagos and UK–Accra returns sit in a similar price band, the open jaw often lands close to — and sometimes below — the cost of a standard return to either city. The exact number depends on your dates and the fare buckets available, so always price the open jaw against a plain return on the same dates. Open jaw is not automatically cheaper; it is automatically more logical for a two-country trip.

The Lagos–Accra middle hop: everything you need to know

The gap in the middle of this open jaw is one of the busiest regional corridors in Africa — and one of the easiest. Nonstop flights take about 1 hour 1 minute from Murtala Muhammed International (LOS) to Kotoka International (ACC), with roughly 26–27 departures a week across the carriers (Trip.com schedule data, fares checked 9 October 2026).

One-way fares on the hop have been seen from around US$192 (Trip.com September 2026 calendar), and the cheapest booking point is roughly 40 days ahead, with Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday typically the cheapest departure days (fares checked 9 October 2026). Do not try to beat it overland: the road crosses two international borders (Benin and Togo) and can take ten to fifteen hours once checks and queues are counted. The one-hour flight wins on every measure.

Worked comparison: the three ways to do two countries

The shape tells the story: the open jaw eliminates the dead backtrack (flying back to Lagos just to catch a flight home) while keeping the long-haul legs on one protected ticket. The only extra moving part is the Lagos–Accra hop, which you book separately.

When open jaw wins — and when a plain return wins

Open jaw wins when you have reasons to be in both countries: family in Lagos and Accra, Detty December plans spanning both cities, or business in both capitals. It also wins on time — you reclaim the day you would have spent backtracking across the Gulf of Guinea.

A plain return wins when you are only visiting one country, when the open-jaw pricing on your dates comes out high (it happens — always compare), or when the Lagos–Accra hop is expensive on your travel day and the maths no longer works. Run both searches before you commit; the comparison takes five minutes.

How to book it: step by step

1. Fix your shape first. Decide your arrival city (Lagos) and departure city (Accra) — or reverse it. The direction is free; pick whichever prices better.
2. Use the multi-city tool. On the airline's site or an aggregator, select "multi-city": leg 1 London → Lagos, leg 2 Accra → London. Do not book two one-ways and hope.
3. Price the baseline. Run the same dates as a standard London–Lagos return. The open jaw should be in the same ballpark — if it is dramatically higher, check different date combinations.
4. Book the hop separately. Search Lagos → Accra one-way with Air Peace, Africa World Airlines, Ibom Air or United Nigeria Airlines, ideally around 40 days out.
5. Leave buffer around the hop. Do not put the Lagos–Accra flight on the same day as your long-haul home flight. Harmattan haze in December and January can disrupt regional schedules — give yourself a day in hand.
6. Check both directions. Sometimes London → Accra, home Lagos → London prices better than the Lagos-first version. Mirror the search before booking.

6 practical tips for open-jaw trips to Nigeria and Ghana

1. Compare the full shape, not just the headline fare. The honest comparison is open-jaw + hop versus two returns — including the backtrack day the two-return option costs you.
2. Sort both visas early. UK passport holders need a visa for Nigeria and a visa for Ghana before travel. Start both applications well ahead, especially for December trips when consular demand peaks (GOV.UK travel advice: Nigeria; Ghana entry requirements).
3. Watch the hop's baggage allowance. Your open-jaw ticket has one consistent long-haul baggage rule, but the Lagos–Accra hop is a separate regional ticket with its own allowance — check it before you pack for two countries.
4. Try Heathrow and Gatwick on both ends. BA flies Accra from both; Lagos from Heathrow. Airport taxes and fare buckets differ, and the cheaper combination is not always the obvious one.
5. Ask a human when the tool prices oddly. Multi-city search tools sometimes return strange routings or fail to ticket valid itineraries. A travel agent that knows West Africa can price and ticket the same trip manually — WhatsApp us on +44 7403 624945 and we will quote it.
6. Time it for Detty December. If your two-country trip falls in December, you catch the season in both cities — see our Detty December guide and the Christmas Accra fares guide.

Frequently asked questions

What is an open-jaw flight?
A round-trip-style ticket where you fly into one city and home from another — for example, London to Lagos, then Accra to London. You cover the gap between the two cities yourself, in this case with a one-hour Lagos–Accra hop.

Is an open-jaw flight cheaper than a return?
Often it is close in price, because airlines price each leg at roughly half the respective return fare. It is not automatically cheaper — always compare the open jaw against a standard return on the same dates before booking.

How do I book London to Lagos, Accra to London on one ticket?
Use the "multi-city" search tool on the airline's website or an aggregator: leg 1 London → Lagos, leg 2 Accra → London. Book the short Lagos–Accra hop separately with a regional carrier.

How long is the flight from Lagos to Accra?
About 1 hour 1 minute nonstop, from Murtala Muhammed International (LOS) to Kotoka International (ACC), with around 26–27 departures a week across Air Peace, Africa World Airlines, Ibom Air and United Nigeria Airlines (fares checked 9 October 2026).

Which airlines fly from Lagos to Accra?
Air Peace flies daily, Africa World Airlines most days, with Ibom Air and United Nigeria Airlines adding further nonstop options through the week.

Do I need visas for Nigeria and Ghana from the UK?
Yes — UK passport holders need a visa for Nigeria and a visa for Ghana, arranged before travel. Apply early for December trips, when demand is highest.

Can I do the trip in reverse — London to Accra, home from Lagos?
Yes. Price both directions: sometimes the Accra-first open jaw is cheaper, depending on fare availability on your dates. The Lagos–Accra hop runs both ways.

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