The Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) has approved an initial license for the much anticipated national carrier, according to the deputy minister of transportation, Hassan Tampuli.

On the fringes of an event celebrating Air France's 90th anniversary in Accra, the deputy minister informed reporters that this approval came about as a result of the government entering into an agreement with a private group. The minister further stated that the government had "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

He replied that it is difficult to give an exact timeline because there is a significant amount of due diligence that needs to be done on the private company when questioned about when the final licence will be issued and the carrier will be exposed.

Furthermore, Mr. Tampuli, the Gushegu Member of Parliament, stated:

“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 government has received formal applications from two airlines, one based in Italy and the other in Spain, requesting permission to start direct services to Kotoka International Airport (KIA), according to the deputy minister of transportation.

“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.

There are currently 23 scheduled and non-scheduled domestic flights from Africa World Airlines (AWA), PassionAir, and GIAN AIR, as well as 23 international and regional flights that serve KIA.