Ghana poised to take control of African airline industry
Managing Director of Ghana Airports Company Limited, Doreen Owusu Fianko says Ghana is ready to take control of the airline industry on the continent.
She says with the current expansion and refurbishment works currently going on in the country’s airports it is poised to become a business travel hub that may see many international airlines shift their focus to for future growth.
As the airline industry battles to keep afloat amid the smallest growth in international passengers in five years, Africa has emerged as one of the three strongest markets, according to data provided by the International Air Transportation Association (IATA).
IATA’s latest data on passenger growth, based on figures gathered in July, found that the number of people flying internationally hit 0.7%, compared with 4.2% growth earlier in the year and 8% the previous year, leading to gloomy forecasts of anticipated losses worth $5.2bn this year and airline failures.
In contrast, Africa’s internal passenger growth was 18% during the same period; growth in travel between Africa and the Middle East continued to be strong at 6.9%, and travel between Africa and the southwest Pacific was 9.7%. This means Africa has become a business travel hub that may see major international airlines shift their focus here for future growth.
Ms Fianko says, in a bid to gain recognition in the keen competition currently going on in the airline industry, Ghana has managed to embark on expansion works at the Kotoka International Airport.
She tells e.business journal that the airport was currently about to complete an agreement on a cargo transshipment base which will include warehouse. “We are also working on a fixed based operator, which is a terminal for private jets and we are working on our finances with the hope that beginning next year we should start with terminal expansion and refurbishment.”
She noted that come next year, six new airlines are expected to begin operations in the country.
While many believe that the airline industry would struggle to grow, there is plenty of potential to expand the industry in Africa, given the lack of connectivity on the continent.
By: Beatrice Baiden
Accra, May 17, 2012
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