La Tante DC10 Restaurant
La Tante DC10 Restaurant was a Ghanaian restaurant housed inside a converted former Ghana Airways McDonnell Douglas DC-10 in Accra.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
La Tante DC10 Restaurant was a themed Ghanaian restaurant established inside a retired McDonnell Douglas DC-10 aircraft at Airport City in Accra. Locally known as “The Green Plane,” it transformed a former Ghana Airways passenger aircraft into a 118-seat dining venue and became one of Accra’s most distinctive hospitality attractions. The restaurant was created through a public–private partnership involving Ghana Airport Company Limited and Vindira Company Limited and opened on 11 November 2013. The aircraft had originally served as a passenger jet for Ghana Airways. The airline ordered the DC-10-30 in 1976, and the aircraft arrived in Ghana on 24 February 1983. During its aviation career it operated routes linking Ghana with Europe and the United States, was used to transport United Nations troops to and from Beirut in 1985, and was later contracted to Caribbean Airlines for flights between Europe and the Caribbean. In 2002, it was impounded at London Heathrow Airport after Ghana Airways accumulated unpaid debts of approximately £4 million to aircraft-parts supplier AJ Walters Aviation. Ghana Airways later became insolvent in 2005, after which the aircraft was abandoned at Kotoka International Airport and progressively stripped of valuable components, including its engines. Rather than being dismantled for aluminium, the airframe was repurposed as a restaurant. It was relocated to Airport City, near Kotoka International Airport and opposite Marina Mall Accra. The conversion removed much of the original seating to create room for dining tables, reducing the aircraft’s former capacity of approximately 380 passengers to 118 restaurant seats. A kitchen was installed in an annex attached to the right side of the fuselage, while a covered staircase provided access from ground level. The former first-class cabin became a waiting area, and separate bathrooms and air-conditioning were added. The menu focused on familiar Ghanaian food, including spiced tilapia with banku, jollof rice with chicken, and red red, a black-eyed-pea stew commonly served with fish. Prices were higher than those of ordinary local eateries but generally below those of Accra’s premium restaurants. Its appeal came from both the food and the unusual setting. Some customers visited because they had never travelled by air, while others were attracted by the novelty of dining inside a commercial aircraft. Contemporary coverage described the restaurant as well received locally and noted that customers continued returning after the initial curiosity had passed. The restaurant eventually closed in 2023. The aircraft was towed away and scrapped, ending the physical attraction and the brand’s operation. No successor operation, current owner, or continuing corporate structure is identified in the available reference material.
History
The physical history of La Tante DC10 Restaurant began with the McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 that later became its dining room. Ghana Airways ordered the aircraft in 1976, and it arrived on 24 February 1983. During its service life it operated as part of Ghana’s international airline network, including routes between Ghana, Europe, and the United States. In July 1985, the aircraft was used to transport United Nations troops to and from Beirut. The following year, it was operated under contract from Caribbean Airlines on twice-weekly services carrying passengers from Europe to the Caribbean. The aircraft’s aviation career became linked to the financial decline of Ghana Airways. In June 2002, it was impounded at London Heathrow Airport after the national carrier failed to settle debts of about £4 million owed to aircraft-parts supplier AJ Walters Aviation. The seizure temporarily affected Ghana Airways services between Accra, the United Kingdom, and Italy. Ghana Airways eventually went bankrupt in 2005. The DC-10 was subsequently abandoned at Kotoka International Airport, where components were removed and sold for scrap over several years, including all three engines. In 2011, the aircraft was acquired by the wife of the Togolese minister, at a time when plans were being considered to salvage it for its aluminium. Instead, the airframe was preserved and repurposed. Ghana Airport Company Limited and Vindira Company Limited developed it as a public–private partnership restaurant, and the converted venue opened on 11 November 2013 at Airport City in Accra, close to Kotoka International Airport and opposite Marina Mall Accra. The project was described as the first aircraft-based restaurant in Africa. The conversion substantially altered the aircraft’s interior. A jet that had formerly carried approximately 380 passengers became a 118-seat restaurant after many seats were removed to create dining space. An annex on the right side of the fuselage housed the kitchen. Customers entered through a covered staircase and arrived through the former first-class section, which had been redesigned as a waiting area. Separate male and female bathrooms were installed, and the entire restaurant was air-conditioned. La Tante DC10 served Ghanaian food rather than presenting itself primarily as a luxury or international dining venue. Its menu included spiced tilapia with banku, jollof rice with chicken, and red red stew with fish. Prices were positioned above ordinary local restaurants but below the cost of Accra’s upmarket dining establishments. The unusual aircraft setting was a major part of the customer proposition. Local visitors came to experience eating inside an aircraft, including people who had never flown, while repeat visits suggested that the attraction was not limited to one-time novelty. The restaurant received generally positive local attention. In a 2014 interview, manager Indira Shiyam said that although the initial draw was curiosity about a restaurant in a plane, customers continued to return. Aviation writer Patrick Smith later visited in 2016 and described the food and value positively while finding the experience less exceptional than its setting might suggest. He also observed that the restaurant could have provided more historical context and photographs about the aircraft’s former passenger service. The venue closed in 2023. After closure, the aircraft was towed away and dismantled, bringing an end to both the restaurant and the preservation of the former Ghana Airways airframe. Available reference material does not establish a continuing brand, successor restaurant, or current corporate owner.
- 2023
Restaurant closes and aircraft is dismantled
[1]The restaurant ceased operations, and the aircraft was removed and scrapped.
- 2013
Restaurant opens
[1]The converted aircraft opened as La Tante DC10 Restaurant on 11 November 2013 at Airport City in Accra.
- 2005
Ghana Airways becomes insolvent
[1]Following the airline’s bankruptcy, the aircraft was abandoned at Kotoka International Airport and later stripped of components.
- 2002
Aircraft impounded at Heathrow
[1]The aircraft was impounded at London Heathrow Airport in connection with Ghana Airways’ unpaid debts to AJ Walters Aviation.
- 1983
Aircraft arrives in Ghana
[1]The aircraft arrived on 24 February 1983 and entered service with Ghana Airways.
- 1976
Ghana Airways orders the DC-10-30
[1]Ghana Airways placed the order for the McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 that would later be converted into La Tante DC10 Restaurant.
Products and positioning
A mid-market Accra restaurant combining Ghanaian staple foods with an aviation-themed dining experience inside a retired passenger aircraft.
Restaurant menu · 2013
Ghanaian staple dishes
The restaurant served familiar Ghanaian dishes in an aircraft setting. Reported examples included spiced tilapia with banku, jollof rice with chicken, and red red, a black-eyed-pea stew served with fish. The menu helped position the venue as a local restaurant with an unusual environment rather than simply as an aviation attraction.
Themed hospitality experience · 2013
Aircraft dining experience
The core offering was the opportunity to dine inside a former Ghana Airways McDonnell Douglas DC-10. The 380-passenger aircraft was redesigned as a 118-seat restaurant, with much of the cabin seating removed, a kitchen added in an exterior annex, and the former first-class area converted into a waiting space.
Brand decisions
2023
End the restaurant operation and dismantle the aircraftOtherBackground
The restaurant had operated from the retired aircraft for approximately a decade.
Action taken
The restaurant closed, after which the aircraft was towed away and broken up.
Aftermath
The La Tante DC10 physical venue ceased to exist, and no continuing operation is identified in the available material.
2013
Repurpose an abandoned aircraft as a restaurantStrategyBackground
After Ghana Airways’ bankruptcy, the DC-10 had been abandoned and partially stripped for scrap. The airframe was at risk of being salvaged for its aluminium.
Action taken
Ghana Airport Company Limited and Vindira Company Limited converted the aircraft into a 118-seat Ghanaian restaurant at Airport City in Accra.
Aftermath
The venue opened on 11 November 2013, attracted local diners, and became a recognizable aviation-themed restaurant before closing in 2023.
Recent events
- 2023
Former Ghana Airways aircraft restaurant closes and is scrapped[1]
Other
La Tante DC10 Restaurant closed, and the aircraft that housed it was towed away and broken up.
- 2013
La Tante DC10 Restaurant opens in converted Ghana Airways aircraft[1]
Product launch
The former Ghana Airways DC-10 was reopened as a 118-seat restaurant at Airport City in Accra through a public–private partnership involving Ghana Airport Company Limited and Vindira Company Limited.
Sources1 sources
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