Ghana Civil Aviation presents Air Carrier License to Goldstar Air
The Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) has presented an Air Carrier License to Goldstar Air, a privately-owned Ghanaian airline, to begin the process to operate scheduled and non-scheduled flights across the world.
When it begins operations, Goldstar Air, which has done the recruitment of its cabin crew, would operate scheduled and non-scheduled flights to 11 destinations across the world, including Baltimore in the United States of America and Gatwick in the United Kingdom.
It is expected to fly to Guangzhou, Dubai, Monrovia, Lagos, Abidjan, Freetown, Dakar, Conakry and Banjul. It will be using the Boeing 767-300 ER for its long haul routes while the Boeing 737-300 ER will be used on the West Coast.
Mr Martey Boye Atoklo, GCAA’s Deputy Director General, Technical, on behalf of the Director General Simon Allotey, presented the license to Mr Eric Bannerman, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Goldstar Air at a short ceremony held at the Accra International Airport.
The granting of the license begins the first of five stages, the final of which is the Air Operator Certificate, in a period of between three months to two years, for the fight to be fully operational.
The management of Goldstar Air has, however, given the assurance that it had done adequate work to satisfy the requirements to fly the airline by April 2017.
Mr Atoklo commended the company for “coming this far” and expressed the hope that the company would work timeously for the flight to begin operations very soon.
He urged GoldStar Air to get their manuals for their operations together and present them to the Authority for the company to go through the certification process to get an Air Operator Certificate.
Mr Atoklo stated that the entry of Goldstar Air into the already competitive aviation market, particularly on the American and London routes, was expected to stir up the industry to bring more benefits to travellers in terms of services and fares.
“It means that the whole civil aviation sector will become more competitive; the numbers are being added onto so it is more beneficial to the civil aviation and the economy as a whole,” Mr Atoklo said.
Mr Bannerman expressed gratitude to God for having brought the company far since its establishment in 2014.
The CEO described the receipt of the license as “refreshing and unique” and promised would-be travellers timely flights.
He announced that the company would allow three bags of 23 kilos each on board per passenger, explaining that, “The three bags will be without the hand luggage to enable Ghanaians have the opportunity to travel heavy at no extra cost.”
The Goldstar CEO announced that Ghanaian dishes would be served and local movies would be available to showcase the rich Ghanaian culture to the outside world.
Source: GNA