New Ghanaian airline gets operating certificate

Eagle Atlantic Airlines, a newly certified Ghanaian international airline, has pledged its commitment to offer seamless connectivity by air for ECOWAS member states and to make Ghana proud.

Dr Emmanuel Osei-Acheampong, Eagle Atlantic Chief Executive Officer, on Friday said the airline intends to fill the gap that have been left by the demise of Ghana Airways and Ghana International Airlines (GIA) the first wholly Ghanaian-owned flag carrier after Ghana Airways and GIA.

He said Eagle Atlantic’s operation would help to facilitate the ECOWAS ideal of free movement of its citizens. Dr Osei-Acheampong made the commitment during the presentation of the Air Operating Certificate to the airline by Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) at a ceremony at the Kotoka International Airport.

He said the airlines would work very hard to hoist high the flag of Ghana and also contribute to Ghana’s efforts to regain the FAA Category One status. The FAA Category is one of the requirements for a country to have a national airline.

Dr Osei-Acheampong said the airline would create a lot of jobs for Ghanaians and also encourage skills transfer from its expatriate staff to their Ghanaian counterparts.

The airline would begin operations on August 16, with flights from Accra to Abidjan, Robertsville- Monrovia and Freetown on an MD 82 aircraft with 147 seats: 12 business class and 135 Economy.

Air Commodore Kwame Mamphey, Director-General of the GCAA, who presented the certificate, noted that the airline had shown perseverance and professionalism, during the processes leading up to the certification, proving that the personnel are capable of managing the airline.

He said although the process, which began in February 2010, was very thorough and challenging at times for the airline, it was in line with the highest ICAO standards.

Air Commodore Mamphey entreated personnel of the airline not to compromise on safety standards when they begin operations, warning that the GCAA would be very strict on safety issues.