The Ghanaian government has announced plans to further liberalize its Freedoms of the Air as President Nana Akufo-Addo's administration seeks to bolster the country's role as West Africa's key aviation hub.
While it already offers generous 5th Freedom traffic rights to multiple foreign carriers using Accra Kotka International Airport, Deputy Minister of Aviation, Kwabena Okyere Darko, has now mentioned the plans to allocate full-cabotage or 9th Freedom (i.e. the freedom to carry traffic between two domestic points in a foreign country) to Nigerian operators.
“Ghana is prepared to collaborate with all airlines in Nigeria to also allow them to operate in our domestic market," Darko was quoted by the BF&T newspaper. "So we are using this opportunity to invite you to invest in Ghana."
The deputy minister added that the move was in line with Nana Akufo-Addo's ambition to bolster the freedom of movement across West African states.
"It is the vision of our President that there should be free movement of people and goods across the West African coast and therefore it is very important that we partner airports and civil aviation organizations and governments within the sub-region to be able to provide these resources across the sub-continent,” he said.
Ghana's domestic market is already tended to by local carriers Starbow Airlines (Accra) and HNA Group's Africa World Airlines (AW, Accra). The difficult operating market has already claimed the scalps of several operators including Antrak Air (Accra) and Fly540 Ghana (Accra). CiTylinK (Accra), which had suspended operations in 2012, is currently attempting to make a comeback but has yet to set out firm relaunch timelines.
