Asuma Banda, Chairman of the Antrak Group of Companies, has appealed to government to reduce the price of aviation fuel since it is making the domestic airline business too expensive and unattractive.
�Within the whole of West Africa, aviation fuel is most expensive in Ghana and this presents a big challenge to domestic players whose businesses have crumbled.� Alhaji Banda was speaking at the official launch of Antrak Air�s newly-acquired 19-seater Beechcraft 1900D at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) in Accra Thursday.
The acquisition of the aircraft was sponsored by Intercontinental Bank Ghana Limited. According to him, even though government continued to talk about local content in Ghana, it has done nothing to encourage this among industry players.
He was reacting to an appeal by Doreen Owusu-Fianko, Managing Director of the Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL) to domestic airlines to charge affordable fares.
Mrs Owusu-Fianko however noted that the airports at Kumasi, Sunyani, Takoradi and Tamale would soon be upgraded to enhance domestic air transport. She said currently her outfit has about 35 air agreements in Africa alone. �We expect Antrak Air to start operating to countries in the sub-region. Construction work has begun on a site where seven aircraft would park while also the extension of the cargo terminal is on-going. Very soon, all domestic fleet would be moved to Tamale.�
Albert Mmegwa, Managing Director of Intercontinental Bank, in a speech, called for an improvement in the sub-regional air transport since passengers within West Africa have had to go through a lot of humiliation to get to their destinations.
Recounting his experience in Senegal, Guinea and Equitorial Guinea, Mr. Mmegwa called on other banks operating in Ghana to help in the development of air transport sub-regionally.
Air Cdre Kwame Mamphey, Director-General of the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), in a remark, commended Antrak Air for its contribution towards the growth of domestic air transport in Ghana.
He described Antrak�s entry into the sub-sector as timely and significant after Airlink, Sobel Air, Fan Air and Muke Air were withdrawn from the industry.
Fadal Banda, Managing Director of Antrak Air, called on domestic passengers to patronize Antrak Air and criticize it in order to help build a healthy sub-sector in Ghana.
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