For older Ghanaians, the image is familiar: a plane at Kotoka Airport with the Ghana flag’s colours on its tail and “Ghana Airways” along its side. The airline flew for more than four decades. Then it stopped.
Ghana Airways was founded in 1958, a year after independence, as part of Kwame Nkrumah’s plans to build national institutions. At first it operated with support from British airlines, then became fully state-owned. It flew within Ghana, across West Africa and on long-haul routes to London, Rome, Düsseldorf and, later, New York and other destinations.
Pride and problems
The airline was a symbol of national pride and a link to the Ghanaian diaspora. But it faced problems common to many state-owned airlines: political interference, overstaffing, old aircraft, high costs and heavy debts.
Grounding
By the early 2000s, Ghana Airways was in serious financial trouble. Aircraft were leased and repossessed, flights were delayed or cancelled, and the airline owed large sums to creditors. In 2004, it was grounded after regulators in the United States and elsewhere raised safety and financial concerns, and the company was later liquidated.
Ghana International Airlines
In 2005, the government and private partners launched Ghana International Airlines as a successor. It operated flights, including to London, but also struggled financially and ceased operations in 2010.
Private airlines
Since then, Ghanaians have relied on foreign airlines for long-haul travel and on private carriers for domestic flights. Local airlines such as Antrak, Starbow and Africa World Airlines have operated domestic and regional routes, with mixed fortunes.
A new national carrier?
Successive governments have promised to establish a new home-based carrier, often in partnership with foreign airlines. Plans have been announced, but no new national flag carrier on the scale of Ghana Airways has taken off.
Why it matters
Supporters of a national airline say it would create jobs, promote tourism and make Accra a regional hub. Critics warn that many African national airlines lose money and that taxpayers should not fund another failed airline.
Kotoka today
Kotoka International Airport is served by many international airlines, and Terminal 3 has expanded capacity. The missing piece, for many Ghanaians, is a plane with their flag on the tail.
Ghana Airways was grounded more than twenty years ago. The debate over whether Ghana should try again has never landed.
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