Over a year has passed since Ashanti Airlines, in partnership with the Government of Ghana (GoG), won the bid to establish a new domestic carrier for Ghana. However, Ashanti Airlines, along with its financial partner, Zotus Group, has made little tangible progress in bringing this project to fruition.

Despite missed target dates in 2022, the government had provided assurances that the new airline, named Ghana Airlines, would initiate ticket sales in April and May 2023, with commercial flights commencing by June or July of the same year.

Ashanti Airlines, initially holding an Air Carrier License (ACL) but not yet a full-fledged airline at the time of the bid, secured the contract ahead of strong competitors such as Ethiopian Airlines, EgyptAir, and JNH Group, a company with a group net worth exceeding $1.5 billion but lacking an Air Carrier License (ACL) and an Air Operator's Certificate (AOC).

Although Ashanti Airlines had demonstrated early enthusiasm in the acquisition of an AOC from the aviation sector regulator, the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), it has faced prolonged delays in the process, stretching back to the previous year, according to a well-informed source cited by Aviationghana.com.

With just around 14 months remaining in the Nana Akufo-Addo-led government's tenure, there is a growing urgency to address the nearly seven-year-long pursuit of a new national flag carrier.

Kwame Governs Agbodza, the Minority Chief Whip and Member of Parliament for Adaklu Constituency in the Volta Region, feels his earlier skepticism is justified: "When it was awarded to Ashanti Airlines, I warned them that this would not succeed because they lack the expertise. Running an airline is not akin to buying an expensive car and parking it in your driveway."

Ghana has been without a national airline since the collapse of Ghana International Airlines in 2010, following the earlier demise of Ghana Airways in 2004. Successive governments since 2010 have attempted, albeit unsuccessfully, various approaches to establish a new flag carrier.

Given Ghana's reputation as one of Africa's stable democracies and business-friendly nations, the quest for potential partners in this venture has garnered interest from some of the industry's most reputable names over the past decade.

Lufthansa, Qatar Airways, Ethiopian Airlines, EgyptAir, Airbus, Boeing, South Africa Airways, Embraer, and others have all, at one point or another, expressed interest in collaborating with the GoG on this project.

Ethiopian Airlines, set to become the largest international carrier servicing Accra's Kotoka International Airport with 14 weekly flights starting from October 29, 2023, may offer a mutually beneficial solution to Ghana's quest for a new flag carrier. Mr. Lemma Gudeta, the Chief Commercial Officer of Ethiopian Airlines, indicated in an interview with AviationGhana.com in Accra, Ghana, that his company would be open to revisiting discussions about the project if the Government of Ghana invites them back to the table.

“Yes, we used to engage with the Government of Ghana for the establishment of a national carrier here. We participated in a bid and we were one of the companies shortlisted to go for further discussion. There were issues that happened in between, but Ethiopian Airlines feels that it is our national obligation as an African carrier to support any start-up national carriers in Africa.

Therefore, whenever the Ghanaian government is ready, and if they believe that Ethiopian Airlines can make a difference, we will be more than happy to assist, because it’s not about business or commercial venture. It is all about making Africa self-sufficient in air transport, therefore it is strongly our obligation, and we will be more than happy to be part of the journey that the Ghanaian government is going to do in establishing the national carrier.”