Ghana (Commonwealth Union)_ The Ghana government has announced its plans to start a new national airline called GhanaAirlines. The airline will commence operations in 2023 from Kotoka International Airport (ACC) in Accra. Revealing the news in parliament last week, the country’s Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta said: “Shareholders and partnership agreements were signed with the selected strategic partner for the home-based carrier, which will be known as GhanaAirlines. The airline is expected to be operationalized in 2023.”
Ashanti Airlines is the strategic partner referred to by Ofoti-Atta in this case. Ashanti Airlines was established in 2018 and is presently pursuing its Air Operator’s Certificate (AOC). The Ghanaian government will now collaborate with the new airline to form GhanaAirlines. Earlier, discussions were undertaken with both Ethiopian Airlines and EgyptAir, but they were all unsuccessful. No further information has been revealed on GhanaAirlines’ prospective routes, aircraft orders, or launch date.
Since the closure of Ghana Airways in 2004 and Ghana International Airlines in 2010, the African country has been without a national flag carrier. Africa World Airlines is now the leading airline in Ghana, accounting for more than 65 percent of domestic travel last year. Next comes Passion Air, which has a fleet of five Dash 8s. GhanaAirlines’ base of operations will be the country’s major airport, Kotoka International Airport in Accra, which served up to three million people annually before the pandemic. Further, the Airports Council International has also honored the airport with the title, ‘Best Airport in Africa’ for the past three years in a row.
The airport is already well-connected to regional hubs like Lagos, Abidjan, and Banjul. Moreover, United Airlines and Delta Air Lines provide transatlantic service to Washington Dulles International Airport and New York JFK, respectively. Other key international airlines that offer flights from Accra including British Airways, which flies to London Heathrow, Turkish Airlines, which flies to Istanbul, and Emirates, which flies to Dubai. Besides linking Accra to its hub in Nairobi, Kenya Airways also offers fifth-freedom flights from the Ghanaian capital to Monrovia and Freetown, and will soon begin service to Dakar. These routes, which are run by a renowned airline, will pose significant competition for any new airline based at Kotoka International Airport.
