Ghana International Airlines (GIA) was suspended mainly due to severe financial and operational constraints during the spring of 2010 and controversy still surrounds the refunds which is very messy and confusing.
The question on every passengers’ lips 1) “ Is Mills Govt well aware of the level of rising anxiety among passengers” 2)“Why is Mills Govt not keeping passengers informed from time to time”. 3)“Has Mills Govt truly settled all validated claims for refund of passengers who purchased tickets but could not travel on the defunct Ghana International Airlines Limited (GIAL) as it was reported?”
UK travel agents who sold suspended Ghana International Airways tickets have denied receiving monies. In recent developments, a spokesman for the Travel Agents Association, Alhaji Ibrahim Atta-Apau, said the decision to take legal action was due to government’s refusal to reason with the members, a situation he described as “a necessary evil.” He said that all efforts, including negotiations and dialogue, had failed and “the signs are that the mistake of the government will affect our business.” He said the agents had exhausted all measures but some individuals, acting on behalf of government, had made their action inevitable. Alhaji Atta-Apau said that one Mr Owusu Ansah, a member of the Interim Committee promised to address the issues, adding that government made provisions in a supplementary budget to refund the monies to the affected passengers and a Deputy Minister for Transport in March 2011 did assure travel agents that the government would finalise all issues.
Alhaji Atta-Apau questioned the integrity of those the government appointed to handle the issues, saying “we are absolutely disappointed.” “We are facing this problem because we helped to promote our national airline. Is this the reward for Ghanaians passengers who patronised their national airline? I am deeply sorry for Ghana,” he stated. He went on to say that “the courts of law will decide and that will be final. If the court says our monies should go waste for what we have done so be it.” Furthermore, the Chairman of the Ghana Travel Agents Association in London, Mr George Newman, had spent the last three months in Ghana trying to retrieve passengers’ monies. He told newspapers in a telephone interview that “without the monies for the passengers, I cannot return to London, for I do not know what will happen to me.” He said his outfit, which was set up some decades ago, was collapsing because a lot of customers have lost confidence”.
To settle the above confusion, the travel and tour operators have taken legal action against the Government of Ghana and the Ministry of Transport for failing to refund monies to passengers who were unable to fly on the Ghana International Airline (GIA) due to its sudden shutdown. It was not disclosed where the legal action would take place, but sources revealed that two renowned Ghanaian and British lawyers are earnestly working on the case.
In the meantime, the battle for the refunds will continue and since Ghana International Airline has not been officially declared bankrupt to date, the policy for refunds will apply in accordance to international laws and procedures
