Page 24 - World Airnews Magazine December 2020

TRAVEL

CALLS FOR MORE DOMESTIC

AIRLINES INCREASE

GH¢800 and GHC 900. serve the growing domestic and regional

PassionAir and AWA, for instance, oper- aviation market.

he increasing demand for ate 20 flights per day between Accra and The airports operator, Ghana Airports

Tdomestic air travel, brought on by Kumasi - the busiest domestic route. Company Limited (GACL), has invested

the need for safe, less crowded, efficient However, some travellers said they were about (US) $400 million in constructing a

means of transport and increased unable to secure seats to Kumasi and Tama- new airport at Ho, rehabilitating the Wa

political activity, has led to calls for more le respectively on either airline last Friday aerodrome, and the construction of a new

domestic airlines. and Tuesday respectively. Terminal, Terminal 3, at the Kotoka Interna-
tional Airport (KIA).

The inactivity of Unity Air since the Industry data show that in 2019, a
The regulator has also spent significant

resumption of domestic flight operations total of 16,499 people travelled by air sums in the acquisition of navigational

domestically.
post-COVID-19 lockdown on May 1, 2020, equipment for the Ho, Wa, Tamale and
has also meant limited available seats for ATTEMPTS AT REVIVING DEFUNCT

the domestic market. DOMESTIC AIRLINES Kumasi airports in recent times.
The indigenous airline became the first The aviation industry regulator, Ghana THE DEMISE OF LOCAL AIRLINES

casualty of the COVID-19pandemic. It has Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), has Antrak Air and City Link led the growth of
been inactive since the resumption of do- held meetings with management of domestic air travel in the country more

mestic flight operations and doesn’t seem dormant airlines to ascertain the than a decade ago. They were later joined

ready to restart operations. challenges and support they require by Fly 540, Starbow and Africa World
The procurement process for the acquisi- to restart operations. Airlines (AWA).
tion of two Embraer 145’s for the airline to Though there are 13 Ghanaian valid A combination of managerial fragilities,

augment its single aircraft was also aborted Air Operators Certificate (AOC) holders - difficult operating environment, lack
after the current pandemic derailed its which allows them to operate domestic of financial muscle in a cash-intensive

projections. and regional passenger and cargo industry, and poor equipment choice are
“We were in the process of acquir- flights - as at March 2018, only seven but a few of the challenges that brought
ing two Embraer 145’s, but due to the are active. most of the domestic operators to
COVID-19, everything has been put on A further eight airlines which hold valid their knees.
hold for now,” a source close to the abort- Air Carrier Licences (ACL) are working with City Link suspended operations five

ed deal said. the regulator toward attaining an AOC years ago due to various reasons. Fly 540

Though PassionAir and Africa World to enable them start their operations. - a part of African Airline Group, FASTJET

Airlines (AWA) have increased frequency However, some have stalled the process by - also in May 2014 suspended all opera-
in response to demand, the lack of more their inability to meet stringent regulatory tions and said, “The company intends to

travelling options by air in-country has led requirements. fully focus on the considerable potential

to a significant increase in airfares. The need for such a meeting became of opportunities in East and Southern

An Accra-Tamale return flight now costs imperative given the growing investment Africa, and this legacy 540 operation is

about GH¢950; Accra-Kumasi and Accra-Ta- in on ground airport infrastructure, but not, therefore, part of the core low-cost

koradi return flights now cost between there are not enough active airlines to FASTJET model”. Q

AIRLINES
AIR ZIMBABWE MAKES
KEY APPOINTMENT
A statement by Air Zimbabwe said travel and tourism industry who include
Matilda had traversed the length and regulatory authorities, travel agents,

atilda Simboti has been breadth of Airline marketing and ground tour operators and other industry

Mappointed Air Zimbabwe operations. associates.

acting sales and marketing manager. She also briefly served in Lubumbashi, In 2015 she was awarded the Traverze

In a statement, the national carrier DRC before being transferred to head the Award for the Most Supportive Airline

said Simboti has a vast wealth of expe- commercial business and ground opera- Staff in Zimbabwe and in 2018 she

rience having worked in the industry tions in the tourist hub in Victoria Falls. scooped the Association of Zimbabwe

for over 30 years. She has a few several Matilda has built very strong relations Travel Agents (AZTA) Award for her Out-
major awards along the way. with key stakeholders in the Airline, standing Service to the Industry. Q
World Airnews | December 2020
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