Cecilia Abena Dapaah – Minister Of Aviation
Cecilia Abena Dapaah, Minister of Aviation, has urged airline operators to explore ways to make airfares more affordable while improving the quality of their services to passengers.
The minister made the call yesterday at the first breakfast meeting organised by Aviation Ghana, an online aviation news portal that provides a platform for the Ministry and stakeholders in the sector to find solutions to challenges bedeviling the industry.
She said, “It is my hope that as an aviation fraternity, we will find solutions to whatever challenges we face.”
She said the West African Sub-region, with its youthful population of more than 350 million, represents one of the biggest markets on the continent for air travel and presented huge potential for the growth of the aviation industry.
Ms Dapaah also tasked international carriers operating in Ghana to form partnerships with local and regional airlines for business expansion to possibly make Ghana an aviation hub.
According to her, data on aviation and travel patterns showed that there was an opportunity for local airlines to grow and expand their operations beyond Ghana’s borders, adding that it was the Ministry’s key objective to establish Ghana as the aviation hub in the sub-region.
Making reference to a report by the International Air Travel Association (IATA), she said the global airline industry was expanding with some 3.8 billion passengers carried, 54.9 million tonnes of cargo lifted, an estimated $650 billion spent by air travelers and international trade shipped by air valued at $5.5 trillion in 2016.
From the Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL), data also indicate that while Europe remained a popular destination for travellers from Ghana; West Africa was also gaining momentum following the liberalisation of the airspace of major economies in the sub-region.
The European route commanded 37.6 percent of the outbound traffic from Ghana as at end of the first quarter of 2017. West Africa followed with 20.3 percent, East Africa-14.5 percent, Middle East 9.9 per cent, North America 6.5 percent and Southern Africa-5.5 percent.
James Eric Antwi, Chief Executive Officer of Starbow Airlines, complained about the lack of appropriate aviation infrastructure at the various domestic airports.
He noted that the domestic airlines faced challenges in their operations during the Harmattan seasons as visibility became poor and they found it difficult to operate their regular schedules to destinations such as Kumasi and Tamale due to the lack of modern navigation systems.
He also raised concerns with fifth freedom rights given by Ghana to other countries in the sub-region based on the Yamoussoukro Decision, saying those countries were not committed to giving those same rights to Ghanaian airlines and put impediments in the way of those who demanded and appealed to the Ministry to address the issue.
Mr Antwi further complained about unfair competition posed by international airlines that also operate regional routes.
Hendrik Du Preez, Emirates Airlines Country Manager for Ghana, said while Ghana’s quest to make the country the preferred aviation hub in the sub-region was commendable, it was important to ensure that international airlines played their part to support the vision.
By Samuel Boadi