The Ghana Civil Aviation Authority has shifted its regulatory mandate to the proactive mode as it plans to engage airlines, especially the domestic operators, more frequently to be able to identify and address their challenges timeously.
Director-General of GCAA, Mr Simon Allotey, has told Goldstreet Business that even though the airlines submit quarterly reports for review, the move is to get to collaborate more to ensure they remain in operation.
“We have even scheduled a meeting with Antrak and Citilink to find out what their problems were,” Allotey revealed, but added that even though GCAA had an idea about their challenges, “we want to know directly from them and see what we can collaboratively do to get some of these back on their feet again.”
The country’s domestic routes have seen airlines ground operations with Starbow bowing out after an incident late last year leaving Africa World Airlines as the only surviving domestic operator.
But the GCAA chief is positive the Ghanaians will shortly have the luxury of choice as four domestic operators go through various stages of licensing and certification.
He said Ashanti Airlines and Gold Coast Airlines have put in applications for an Air Carrier Licence to go through the stages leading to a certification process and issuance of an Air Operating Certificate to properly situate them as fully fledged airlines capable of operating scheduled passenger service and cargo operations.
Allotey disclosed that Baby Jet Airlines and Unity Airlines are at the fourth, out of the five stages of the certification process, awaiting validation and demonstration phase involving non-revenue flights to simulate various situations to ensure compliance to GCAA standards.
He refuted claims that Baby Jet Airline was acting illegally by advertising for recruitment.
The timing is just right to start the recruitment process while they wait to complete the certification process” Allotey emphasised.
By Godfred Tawiah Gogo
