LAUNCH DATE: Ghana’s new national airline to start flights in third quarter

Ghana Airlines, operated by Accra-based Ashanti Airlines in partnership with the government and London-based Zotus Group as financial and operational partners, has obtained its air carrier licence and is in the final stages of obtaining the air operator certificate, the companies said in a statement.

The new airline will start with domestic flights and later add regional and international routes, including London and New York, it said.

Ghana International Airlines, which was 70% state-owned, ceased operations of its one leased aircraft in May 2010. The carrier was set up to replace Ghana Airways, which was established a year after the country’s independence from Britain in 1957 and ran domestic and international flights. It was liquidated in 2005 amid rising debt and failed attempts to find international investors.