GCAA grants initial licence for long-awaited national carrier

The Deputy Minister of Transport, Hassan Tampuli, has revealed that the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) has granted an initial licence for the eagerly awaited national carrier.

This approval follows the entry into an agreement with a private group, the deputy minister told journalists on the sidelines of a ceremony in Accra to mark Air France’s 90th anniversary – adding that the government has “already signed a shareholders’ agreement with them”.

“We have incorporated the company, and the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority has granted them the first level of licence,” Mr. Tampuli stated.

“We are currently waiting for the company to identify the type of aircraft they will use, and the final licence will be awarded after the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority inspects those aircraft. At present, we are still in the incubation stage,” he added.

Need for due diligence

When asked about timelines for issuance of the final licence and outdooring the carrier, his response was that it is challenging to provide an immediate timeframe because there is a substantial amount of due diligence to be conducted on the private company.

Additionally, Mr. Tampuli, who’s also the Member of Parliament for Gushegu said: “We need to assess our bilateral air service agreement (BASA) to determine which routes are available to Ghana. These considerations and calculations are crucial for understanding the business model that they [the private group] will be applying in partnering with government”.

Two more carriers seek entry into Ghana

The deputy transport minister also stated that government has received formal applications from two airlines – one based in Spain and another in Italy – seeking approval to establish direct services to Kotoka International Airport (KIA).

“So, yes, Ghana is open for business. Airlines are coming. They keep knocking on our door and we are ready; we have the infrastructure to accommodate them and give an experience that will make them come again,” he stated.

KIA is Currently served by 23 international and regional flights, with three domestic airlines – Africa World Airlines (AWA), PassionAir and GIAN AIR – offering scheduled and non-scheduled domestic flights.

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