GHANA – The Government of Ghana has moved an inch closer towards actualizing its plan to relaunch a national carrier after it signed two aircraft purchase deals.
The first deal was signed between the government and the De Havilland Aircraft of Canada at the Dubai Air Show for six Dash8-400 aircraft for its soon to be launched national airline.
The new deal, signed by the Aviation Minister, Joseph Kofi Adda, is expected to boost Ghana’s dream of seeing to it that a new national airline hits the skies.
Following the signing of the agreement, issues of financing and others are expected to be finalized before being presented to Cabinet for approval and then to Parliament.
The Minister of Aviation, Joseph Kofi Adda, who signed the Memorandum of Understanding on Ghana’s behalf, said “They’re manufacturing Dash-8s, that can take upwards of 82 passengers.”
He said that the planes were the most efficient to serve the domestic and regional needs of the passengers adding that they could also be sent “to other West African countries all the way up to Senegal, The Gambia, Cameroun and Congo.”
Apart from the six Dash-8 aircrafts, Ghana which has been having plans to reestablish a national carrier also signed a deal with Boeing for the supply of three (3) Boeing 787-9 planes.
“The second one is the Boeing 787-9, that’s a long haul. Long haul means it goes trans-oceanic. It goes to Europe, North America, it can go to Middle East and Asia,” noted Mr. Kofi Adda.
“These were signed for three of the aircraft. These are all Memorandum of Understanding; they’re letters of intent indicating our desire to procure these aircraft,” he added.
The minister further revealed that the government was currently assessing various options in procuring the aircraft before settling on the most viable one for the country.
According to the minister, Ghana could either go for leasing arrangement where a third party pays for the aircraft and the airline pays periodically for the service of the aircraft or it could choose to outrightly purchase the aircraft.
Ghana has for close to a decade lacked a national airline. Its first national carrier; Ghana Airlines was established in 1958 but was later liquated in 2005.
The second national carrier named Ghana International also followed the same fate as that of its predecessor in 2010 after it was unable to service its mounting debts.
