Goldstar Air to use innovative ways to give Kumasi International Airport global recognition

Goldstar Air, your innovative indigenous wholly owned Ghanaian airline, wants to reassure the Ghanaian traveling population that the current 1,981-meter runway at the Kumasi International Airport will be enough and safe for global recognition.

Our narrow-body aircraft can fly to and from our European destinations (Hub) and Saudi Arabia (Hajj Pilgrimage) until the expansion of the runway is completed to accommodate our wide-body aircraft to and from Asia and North America.

Meanwhile, passengers who will be traveling to our Asia and North America destinations will have to transit through Accra Airport Terminal 2, until the runway is extended. They will have to check in and receive their baggage at Kumasi airport and their baggage will be automatically transferred through to and from their final destinations.

According to the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Eric Bannerman, the airline is awaiting the inspection of its aircraft, naming one of the aircraft after His Royal Majesty Otumfuo Nana Osei Tutu II and the opening of the international concourse of the Kumasi Airport.

The Chief Executive Officer also eulogies the Royal initiative by His Royal Majesty Otumfuo Osei Tutu II in building and commissioning his grand multipurpose hall in the Ashanti Region to mark the 25th-anniversary celebrations, called the Otumfuo Osei II Jubilee Hall.

The architectural marvel, blending traditional Asante house design with modern aesthetics, is poised to serve as a cultural and ceremonial hub.

Commissioned to reflect the essence of Asante heritage, the hall features a striking mural adorned with miracle Asante artifacts and Adinkra symbols, prominently showcasing the revered Golden Stool, ‘Sika Dwa Kofi’. The hall’s design, reminiscent of the iconic “Fi hankra” Asante housing style, encompasses a spacious 2,000-seat auditorium, complemented by office spaces and dining facilities.

Goldstar Air will organize great cultural and tourism homecoming events, which will also geared towards bringing a lot of traffic to the Kumasi International Airport. This and many drives are the many folds of indirect jobs the airline will create for Asanteman youth and Ghana as a whole when Goldstar Air starts operations.

According to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), an international airport is an airport with customs and border control facilities enabling passengers to travel between countries around the world. ICAO also defines a runway as a rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and takeoff of aircraft.

Runways may be a human-made surface (often asphalt, concrete, or a mixture of both). Runways, taxiways, and ramps are sometimes called "tarmac," though very few runways are built using tarmac.

Takeoff and landing areas defined on the water surface for seaplanes are generally referred to as waterways.

Runway lengths are now commonly given in meters worldwide, except in North America, where feet are commonly used. The runway is one of the most visible and important elements within an airport; its dimensions (length and width), location, and subsequent maintenance must be accurate to ensure its safety both during takeoff and landing.

Existing facilities at Kumasi International Airport are the single asphalt-paved runway, designated Runway, which has a length of 1,981 metres (6,502 feet) and a width of 45 metres (148 feet) for landing and take-off and is expected to expand to 2,320 meters (7,611 feet).

Compared to London City Airport, which has a single 1,508-meter (4,948-feet) runway that allows domestic and international flights for the public transport of passengers, only multi-engine, fixed-wing aircraft up to Airbus A318 size with special aircraft and aircrew certification to fly 5.5° approaches are allowed to conduct operations at London City Airport.

The airport is about 60 hectares and handles over 5 million passenger movements annually. It is the 5th busiest airport by passengers and aircraft movements serving the London area after Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, and Luton and the 15th busiest in the United Kingdom, which Kumasi International Airport can follow suit.

Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport currently serves 9,449 flights monthly, 315 flights per day, 13 flights per hour, and 108 nonstop destinations on an average day there is at least 1 flight every 5 minutes, and contains four runways, but the east-west runway was closed in 1956 to be used as a taxiway and for aircraft parking.

In 2012, the runway was resurfaced and extended to increase the runway safety area, with the main north-south runway now 2,185 meters (7,169 feet), the northwest-southwest runway 1,586 meters (5,204 feet), and the northeast-southwest runway 1,524 meters (5,000 feet), and the slot rule limits the number of landings and takeoffs to 62 per hour.

Though Reagan National is an international airport, it has no immigration or customs facilities, with international flights restricted to those with U.S. Customs and Border Protection preclearance facilities, including major airports in Canada and some destinations in the Caribbean.

International passenger flights to and from the Washington metropolitan area primarily utilize Washington Dulles International Airport or Baltimore/Washington International Airport. The airport served over 25.4 million passengers in 2023, the most of any of the three airports serving the region and a new passenger record for the airport. The airport's main runway is the busiest in the nation.

There will be an initial limitation on the movement of our Boeing 777 aircraft to and from the United States of America, China, and Canada at Kumasi International Airport for now, as the airline is looking forward to further expansion of the runway from the estimated 2,320 meters to one that can accommodate all our aircraft in the future because the minimum runway length quoted for Boeing 777 take-offs is 2,500 meters, plus a 240 meters runway end safety area (a sandpit it can plow into if the takeoff is aborted without remaining space to halt).

To make Kumasi International Airport useful for the region, the youth must be trained to get jobs to benefit Asanteman, because it is not only about opening the airport for international passengers and aircraft but also for the local people, Kumasi Airport city and the region to benefit from the 24/7 economy-axillary jobs around the airport.

The main reason for opening the international concourse at the airport is for Asanteman to get jobs, and Goldstar Air is the obvious choice to make it happen. Goldstar Air, as an economic tool, knows what and how to let people in the region earn more money in aviation, tourism, and other sectors of the economy by enhancing economic performance and creating over one hundred thousand direct jobs for Ghanaians.

Ghana must shift towards local participation in aviation for sustainable job creation in the sector and ensure equitable distribution of profits within the country to bolster economic growth. Asante Region can rake in more revenue annually by instituting a 24-hour economy for growth and advancement, and that will reduce the unemployment rate of 14.7 percent in Ghana.

The country must take advantage of our location as the center of the world to position itself as an attractive destination for investment, fostering economic growth, creating well-paying job opportunities, and contributing to the development of its citizens.

Airports do not directly find customers, as they are not airlines or travel agencies that sell tickets to passengers. Instead, airports provide the infrastructure, facilities, and services that airlines and other businesses use to serve their customers.

Airports typically work with airlines and other companies in the aviation industry to attract customers to their facilities. This can involve a variety of marketing and promotional activities, such as advertising campaigns, social media outreach, and participation in travel industry events.

Airports also work to provide a positive experience for passengers, which can help encourage repeat business and word-of-mouth recommendations. This may include amenities such as comfortable waiting areas, convenient parking, and easy access to transportation.

In addition to working with airlines and other businesses, airports may also engage in partnerships and collaborations with tourism boards, local governments, and other organizations to promote their region and attract visitors.

Goldstar Air will initially operate flights from Kumasi International Airport to Rome, Madrid, Hamburg, London, Dusseldorf̈ and Milan and flights from Accra Kotoka International Airport will include destinations such as Washington, Dubai, Lagos, Toronto, Monrovia, Conakry, Abidjan, Guangzhou, Dakar, Banjul, Rhode Island, London and Freetown.

Overall, for accessibility and connectivity, Kumasi International Airport must rely on indigenous airlines like Goldstar Air for its success and businesses that operate within their facilities to attract customers, while also working to create a positive experience for passengers to encourage repeat visits and recommendations.