From Akuse to the Skies: How Audrey Pappoe Built an International Aviation Career

 

Growing up in Akuse in Ghana’s Eastern Region, Audrey Pappoe often looked beyond her small town and wondered what life would be like in other parts of the world.

At the time, a career that would take her around the globe seemed like a distant possibility.

Today, Pappoe is a Senior Purser with Emirates, responsible for compliance and standards within the airline’s inflight operations. Her career has taken her from starting out in Economy Class as a junior crew member to working in Business and First Class and eventually taking on a senior role focused on standards and compliance.

She says the journey has been one of professional growth, discovery and learning.

“I have always wanted to travel around the world. I wondered what it would be like to experience the world beyond this small town,” she said.

“When the opportunity to join Emirates came, I decided to take that chance. What started as a dream has become a career that has taken me around the world.”

Rising through the ranks

Pappoe has worked across Emirates’ Airbus A380, A350 and Boeing 777 aircraft, giving her a close view of how the airline’s onboard experience has evolved.

She describes the A380 as being almost like “managing a small village in the sky” because of its size and the scale of operations involved.

The A350, Emirates’ newest aircraft, offers a different experience, with a quieter cabin, a refreshed interior and new passenger features.

But for Pappoe, the aircraft are only part of the story.

Working directly with passengers has allowed her to see how people respond to changes in the onboard experience, from seating and privacy to entertainment and comfort.

When small details matter

Among the newer features is Emirates’ Premium Economy cabin, which includes a full-height privacy screen.

Pappoe says such features reflect changing passenger expectations, particularly on long-haul journeys when travellers may want to work, rest, watch a film or have more personal space.

She also points to the U-Dream Headrest in Economy Class as an example of a small feature that can improve comfort during a long flight.

“On a long-haul flight, the small details can make a big difference,” she said.

The same applies to entertainment.

Emirates’ ice entertainment system gives passengers access to a wide range of films, television programmes, music and other content.

For Ghanaian passengers, Pappoe says, there is also the chance to come across familiar content, including Ghanaian movies and music.

For a Ghanaian crew member working thousands of kilometres from home, those reminders of home can be meaningful.

Carrying Ghana with her

Pappoe says her Ghanaian background influences how she approaches her work.

She believes the warmth and hospitality associated with Ghana naturally shape how she interacts with passengers.

There are also moments when the distance from home suddenly feels much shorter.

“You can be thousands of kilometres from home and suddenly hear someone speaking Twi, Ga, Ewe, Dagbani or another Ghanaian language,” she said. “It creates an immediate sense of familiarity.”

One particular flight remains with her.

An elderly Ghanaian woman was travelling alone to visit her grandchildren abroad and was nervous because it was her first long-haul journey.

Pappoe checked on her throughout the flight, explained what she needed to know and spent some time talking with her.

During their conversation, the woman discovered that she knew Pappoe’s parents and had lived in Akuse.

When they arrived, the woman held Pappoe’s hand and told her that she had made her feel like family.

For Pappoe, the encounter reinforced an important lesson about the job: passengers may remember the aircraft and destination, but they can remember even more strongly how they were treated.

More than a job

Pappoe’s career progression has also shaped her understanding of opportunity in aviation.

She started in Economy Class as a junior crew member before moving into Business Class and First Class. She is now a Senior Purser responsible for compliance and standards, a senior leadership position within inflight services.

The progression, she says, has taught her to adapt, communicate across cultures and remain calm in unfamiliar situations.

“You learn to adapt, communicate with people from different cultures and remain calm when things do not go exactly as planned,” she said.

The experience has also deepened her appreciation of home.

Spending extended periods outside Ghana has made family, familiar surroundings and the simple things she may have taken for granted more meaningful.

And there is always the food.

“Give me Ghana jollof and shito any day,” she said.

Watching Ghana’s connectivity grow

Pappoe has also witnessed Emirates’ expanding presence in Ghana.

She points to the airline’s connectivity between Accra and Dubai and the opening of its Travel Store in Accra as examples of the growing relationship between the airline and the Ghanaian market.

For her, the significance goes beyond the airline itself.

More connectivity creates opportunities for people to travel for business, visit relatives, explore new destinations and connect to other parts of the world.

She sees those opportunities directly through the passengers she meets.

Some are making their first international journey. Others are reuniting with family or travelling to places they have long wanted to visit.

“More connectivity means more opportunities for people to travel for business, to visit family, to explore new places or connect onwards to destinations around the world,” she said.

A message to young Ghanaians

Years of meeting passengers from different backgrounds have also taught Pappoe that every traveller has a story.

People may be travelling for a wedding, starting a new job, visiting family, going on holiday or returning home after years away.

That experience has reinforced the importance of simple acts of kindness.

“You never really know what someone is carrying emotionally,” she said. “Sometimes a smile, a conversation or simply taking the time to listen can mean more than you realise.”

Her own career has also changed how she sees herself.

The job has continually placed her in new environments and situations, challenging her to learn and take on greater responsibility.

She now wants young Ghanaians who are considering international careers to see opportunities such as aviation as attainable.

“I am proof that a girl from Ghana can build an international career with one of the world’s most recognised aviation brands, meet people from across the world and experience places she may once have only dreamed about,” she said.

From Akuse to the world

Pappoe’s journey has taken her far from where it began.

From a young girl in Akuse dreaming about seeing the world, she has built a career that has taken her across continents and through different levels of Emirates’ inflight operations.

Her progression from junior crew in Economy Class to Business and First Class and now Senior Purser for compliance and standards reflects the career opportunities she has found in aviation.

For her, representing Ghana while doing that work adds another dimension to the journey.

“It feels like Emirates is investing in Ghana in a real, tangible way, not just with better products but with more access,” she said.

“And I get to be one of the people who brings that experience to life for my own country.”

For Pappoe, the journey that began with a dream of seeing the world has become a career built around people, service, responsibility and the opportunity to show what a young Ghanaian can achieve.