Accra, December 17, GNA- The open sky policy entered into by Ghana with more advance nations has been described as unfair as it is working to the nation's disadvantage.
The policy frees a sovereign state air market to other nations without restrictions.
Dr. Edward R. K Dwemoh, Chairman of Ghana Airways Board made this observation at a public lecture to mark hundred years of flight and 60th anniversary of International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) in Accra.
Dr Dwemoh, who is also aviation consultant said, while the US and Britain are pushing forward virtues of this policy they have adopted a protectionist method in other to save the airlines.
"Ghana has opened it's sky just too widely without any safeguard to protect its national airline as the American and the British and indeed other nations to their carriers."
He questioned why Ghana cannot do the same if capitalist states could adopt protectionist method to promote their airlines, adding that British Airways has the best slot both ways and operates daily flight to Accra with superior equipment and without any restriction on capacity. Dr. Dwemoh called on government to emulate Kenya and British Airways when the government assisted in the restructuring and before the airlines were privatised.
He said Ghana Airways has a huge potential, which must not be made to go waste and urged the government to pluck the courage and apply Kenyan government principle, which made the airways what it is now. The Chairman of Ghana Airways recounted the history of aircraft development associated with the Wright brothers, who built the first aircraft in 1903 and named it the Flyer.
He said from then on there have been development in aircraft from commercial planes, transport, light, military, sea, and special purpose planes, all undergoing levels of improvement in modern technology. Dr. Dwemoh recalled a story of a local mechanic called Akrong from a suburb of Accra who designed an aircraft at Abossey Okai by using wood and scrubs.
He said during Akrong's initial flight the device dropped violently at an open place at Old Fadama and attracted the displeasure of the colonial government at the time who argued that Akrong was engaging in a dangerous venture and that it was risk to public order.
Dr. Dwemoh expressed regret that the local initiative was killed, adding that later when Ghanaian aeronautical engineer and some French international aviation experts carried out further research on the remains of Akrong's aircraft, they concluded that it conforms to basic aero-dynamics feature.
