Advertisement
Desktop970x250
Advertisement
Desktop970x250

Ethiopian Airlines selected for home-based carrier

By Emmanuel Kwame Amoh
SHARE
3 min read
Ethiopian Airlines selected for home-based carrier

The MoU was signed on Tuesday, December 4
Ethiopian Airlines has been selected as the strategic partner for the proposed new home-based carrier, AviationGhana can exclusively reveal. At exactly 6pm Ethiopian Time on Tuesday, December 4, 2018 a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed at ET’s headquarters to signify government’s undertaking to work with ET in establishing a new home-based flag carrier. Aviation Minister, Joseph Kofi Adda, signed on behalf of the Government of Ghana while Tewolde GebreMariam, Ethiopia’s Chief Executive Officer signed the MoU on behalf of the airline. A final agreement is expected to be signed before Christmas. The airline is also expected to start flying early next year. The desire to establish a new home-based carrier after the collapse of Ghana Airways—a fully state-owned entity—and the subsequent collapse of Ghana International Airlines, established with private sector participation after the collapse of Ghana Airways, stems from growth in the sector experienced on the continent and the industry’s future potential. Huge investments in on-ground infrastructure, such as expansion of the Arrival Hall of Terminal 2 and construction of Terminal 3 at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA), construction of a new terminal building at the Kumasi Airport, expansion of the Tamale Airport, reconstruction of the Wa airport and construction of a new airport in the Volta regional capital Ho, all require that a home-based carrier, which will focus on operating domestic and regional routes before taking on the rest of the world is established. Tewolde GebreMariam, Ethiopia’s Chief Executive Officer, told AviationGhana on the sidelines of the Routes Africa Conference held in Accra in June that: “Yes, we have submitted our proposal and held discussions. [If we are chosen] we will operate domestic flights in addition to regional flights.” Analysts believe that the commitment by Ethiopian to operate domestic flights was very instrumental in their selection as strategic partners. This is expected help the country maximize the huge investments made in airport infrastructure. Structure of new airline  Aviation Minister Joseph Adda has said that government will not take up more than 10 percent in the yet-to-be established new national air carrier – emphasising that government is being careful not to repeat mistakes of the past. “What we are looking at is not more than 10 percent shares [in the new airline], and that is the extent to which government will be involved. We will have one or two representatives on the board, but neither government nor the [Aviation] minister will interfere in operations of the new company in terms of policy, strategy and operations,” he said. Source: aviationghana.com

Sign up to The Daily Briefing

Stay informed with the most relevant stories shaping Ghana and the world, every morning and evening.

By signing up, you agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy.

Share This Article

Emmanuel Kwame Amoh is an Online Editor with the current affairs team at Media General, operators of TV3 Ghana, editors.3news.com and more. Email: emmanuel.amoh@editors.3news.com

Advertisement
Desktop300x250

Up Next

Advertisement
Desktop970x250