Ghana International Airline passengers to demonstrate

Tension is fast rising in London among disappointed passengers of the defunct Ghana International Airlines (GIA) over what they perceive as disappointment by the airline.

A huge number of disappointed passen­gers who were unable to fly to Accra from London due to the unexpected closure of the airline in the summer of last year are plan­ning a massive demonstration in London to demand a refund of their fares and possible compensation.

Investigations in London revealed that more than 800 passengers were affected by the airline’s closure.

They have organised themselves and planned a massive demonstration in London against the “Ghana government whose deci­sion has put us in this plight and also draw the world’s attention to the problem”.

The spokesperson for the group told this reporter that the demonstration would end at the Ghana High Commission where the demonstrators would present a petition to the Head of Mission.

They have also threatened to take the issue to court in the United Kingdom and Ghana to demand their fares with interest and compensation.

The GIA was closed down in June last year due chiefly to severe financial and operational constraints. At the time of the decision to close down the airline, tickets had been sold to many passengers, both Ghanaians and non-Ghanaians.

Investigations in London have also revealed that so far 26 families who had booked flights to travel to Ghana for funer­als and wedding ceremonies of family mem­bers and relations could either not make it at all or had to buy new tickets to fly to Accra with other airlines.

The major challenge, according to the passengers who were on unable to fly after purchasing tickets to fly on the GIA flights, was that no arrangements were made to provide a refund or find alternative means to fly them to Accra.

They paid between £490 and £2,000 to fly on the airline but they were gravely disappointed.

Currently, there are over 100 GIA tickets which could not be used that have been shown to this reporter.

Investigations also revealed that nearly 50 disappointed passengers had officially lodged complaints with the Ghana High Commission in London.

Efforts by travel agents in London to pla­cate their disappointed customers have proved futile and at a point the passengers turned their anger on the agents.

The CEO of Flight Travel Centre, Alhaji Ibrahim Atta-Apau, who expressed his frustration in an interview, said the situation was gradually collapsing his business.

He said many customers were losing faith and interest in his company because of the woes of the GIA, adding that the patience of the customers had completely run out and that their intended action was right.

According to Alhaji Atta-Apau, who has been in the business for the past 20 years, that was the worse experience in his career.

He said £135,000 was needed as refund to 282 passengers who had purchased GIA tickets from his travel agency.

“We (travel agents) have sent a delega­tion, led by the Director of Circle Travels, Mr George Newman, to Accra to have talks with the government to find the way for­ward,” he intimated.

Mashin Malik of Flight Vision confirmed that and said they had sent the delegation because “the pressure on us is too enormous to bear”.

He said he needed nearly £130,000 as refund to 283 disappointed passengers.

He said his travel agency had booked passengers on GIA flights up till September 2010 before the airline crumbled three months earlier.

Officials at the Ghana High Commission, in reaction, said efforts were being made by the government to address the issue.

Source: Daily Graphic