News:
March 26, 2018
Minister of Aviation, Cecilia Dapaah, has revealed that the Ministry is taking steps to intervene to address challenges of the indigenous airlines to avert total collapse.
According to the Minister the Ministry has engaged airline operators and requested for a list of airline spares parts and consumables that require exemptions to enable the Ministry submit proposals to the Ministry of Finance for consideration.
She further noted that the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) has been charged by the Ministry to look at the possibility of a downward review of licensing and certification fees and charges for new companies entering the domestic market.
The GCAA provides free of charge aeronautical services at the Regional airports and serve as a big incentive she said on the floor of Parliament, when MP for Adaklu Kwame Agbodza wanted to know if there are challenges facing domestic airlines as some of them are laying off their staff.
the Minister of Aviation again said the Ministry will take measures to make domestic airlines operations attractive and encourage Ghanaian investors to invest in the industry.
Again the Ministry would soon deposit an ICAO Registry in Montreal for ratification/accession in respect of International Air Law Convention to enable domestic operations enjoy incentives the Conventions affords, such as leasing of aircraft at affordable rates.
Mrs. Cecilia Dapaah told the House that high cost of operation from fuel price at domestic airports, leasing of aircrafts, non-availability of tax incentives for start-ups and payment of user and other charges to GCAA in dollars are among other contributing factors had resulted in laying-off of staff of some domestic airline and contributing to the collapse of some indigenous airlines.
The Minister recounted that in 2012 five domestic airlines operators, Africa World Airlines(AWA), Aero Surveys(Starbow), Antrak Air, CTK network Aviation Limited(City Link) and Fly 540 were operating the domestic route in Ghana.
City Link, Fly 540 and Antrak Air, suspended their operations in August 2012, May 2014 and June 2015 respectively leaving only AWA and Starbow.
In a written letter to GCAA all the three attributed their suspension to restructuring and reorganization of their respective organizations.
By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com