Ghana's new nat'l carrier close to certification - CAA head

Ghana's new home-based carrier - GhanaAirlines (Accra) - is close to being certified by the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority after having already received an air transport license, according to GCAA director-general Charles Kraikue.

He said an announcement by Ghana's Ministry of Transport was expected before the end of the year. Business & Financial Times newspaper reports Kraikue was speaking at a media conference after a stakeholder meeting with aviation industry players in Accra, Ghana, on December 15, 2022.

"We have assisted the government in the process. What we have done is that the home-based carrier has been given the air-carrier licence by the GCAA. We are at the last stage of granting the air operator certificate, which is the last stage of our processes, and we hope that, very soon, the home-based carrier will be launched," he said.

As reported, ch-aviation has been reliably informed that Ashanti Airlines (Accra) has signed a joint venture agreement with the Government of Ghana as the home-based carrier, but no official announcement has been made.

During initial operations, GhanaAirlines is expected to start with West Africa routes to Lagos and Abuja (Nigeria), Senegal and Gambia, plus London and other European cities. The full list of routes will be decided once the final agreement with the strategic partner is signed, the newspaper reported.

Initial information on the deal suggested the strategic partner would hold a 49% share while local individuals/corporate institutions get 41%, with the government left holding 10%.

Ashanti Airlines reportedly beat to the post the Ghanaian management consultancy and brokerage JNH Group; Ethiopian Airlines; and EgyptAir. The latter two had separate Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with Ghana in the past to revive a national carrier, but neither materialised.

Previous flag carriers Ghana International Airlines (Accra) and Ghana Airways (Accra) folded in 2010 and 2004, respectively.

Ch Aviation