Kenya Airways Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Allan Kilavuka
The Group Managing Director and CEO of Kenya Airways, Allan Kilavuka, has indicated that his outfit is ready and happy to offer expert advice to help Ghana revive its national carrier.
During a press briefing in Accra last week, Allan Kilavoka said there were initial conversations in that regard a few years ago but attempts to escalate the initial plans have stalled.
He said the revival of Ghana’s national carrier will create a more business-friendly aviation sector and therefore he does not see it as a threat to Kenya Airways.
“You can ask me questions on the national carrier in Ghana. My recommendation is that we should do it jointly. We used it for many years in Africa through the Afrique, which is the francophone airline. We used to have it in East African Airways in Kenya but we did a reverse gear.
“While continents are consolidating, we are fragmenting and building small and viable airlines which we need to bring together to consolidate them and make them more viable so that they are able to compete and offer services for African people, and then reduce taxes and the cost of operations.”
“In some African countries, it’s difficult for us to get to those countries because of visa restrictions. For example, because of customs restrictions and so on. So, what we are saying is that the ratification of the instrument, although done, needs to be implemented, needs to be activated so that the intention of the African Continental Free Trade Area can be actualized. What that would mean for us is that there will be more people moving from one African country to the next country and therefore it’s more business for the airlines.”
Plans to get a national airline for Ghana
Since the collapse of Ghana’s national airline, Ghana International Airlines, in 2010, the government has been trying to revive it with a new airline.
The defunct Ghana International Airlines (GIA) took over from Ghana Airways as a national airline in 2004 as a partnership between the government of Ghana and a group of private international investors.
The government owned 70% of the shares while the international consortium owned 30% in the GIA which had one plane and partnered with a number of international airlines to boost its operations.
The earlier airline, Ghana Airways, had a cooperation agreement with South African Airways in 1999 but was run down by debts and legal disputes.
KOD
