The Aviation industry in recent years has expanded thus the introduction of a good number of african airlines operating in Ghana, making it possible for Ghanaians who travel by air to access cheaper flights.
Aviation is a major catalyst engineering growth in Africa’s tourism industry and Africa’s top airlines are left with the task of transporting tourists. Aside air transportation, most African airlines operating in Ghana may also offer complementary services such as hotel reservations, booking and guides.
According to Wikipedia, African airlines only account for 6% of the world’s air traffic, The low numbers and lagging in the aviation sector are due to a number of challenges — high taxes, airfare, high cost of jet fuel, poor airport infrastructure and international competition.
Although Africa’s aviation industry is riddled with issues of poor quality standards, inconsistency, ageing fleet of aircrafts et al, there some airlines performing very well and have been able to deliver quality service to passengers.
BELOW ARE THE TOP AFRICAN AIRLINES OPERATING IN GHANA
1 Ethiopian Airlines (Ethiopia)
Ethiopia’s flag carrier is wholly owned by the government and was launched in December 1945 and commenced operations on 8 April 1946, expanding to international flights in 1951.
Ethiopia Airline became a share company in 1965, and changed its name from Ethiopian Air Lines to Ethiopian Airlines. Its hub and headquarters are at Bole International Airport from where it serves a network of 113 passenger destinations, including Ghana —19 of them domestic— and 35 freighter destinations.
Ethiopian Airlines flies to more destinations in Africa than any other carrier. It flies passengers fro Ghana to Kenya, Ethiopia, South African amongst others.
2. Egypt Air
According to report, in 2017 alone, Egypt Air welcomed over 8.5 million passengers in its fleet, making it one of the major airlines on the continent. It is the flagship carrier in Egypt and is 100% owned by the Egyptian government.
With about 68 passenger fleets, EgyptAir serves over 12 destination in Egypt, 19 in Africa, including Ghana. EgyptAir carries passengers from Ghana to Kenya, Egypt, Liberia, Freetown, Dubai etc . The Airline has a passenger charter for both Domestic and International routes.
There are three carriers, which operate under the same Air Operator Certificate but are managed separately and have their own profit and loss accounts:
- EgyptAir Airlines, the core airline company
- EgyptAir Cargo, a dedicated cargo airline (established in 2002)
- EgyptAir Express, the domestic and regional airline (launched in June 2007)
3. Kenya Airways
Kenya Airways Ltd., more commonly known as Kenya Airways, is the flag carrier of Kenya. The company was founded in 1977, after the dissolution of East African Airways. The carrier’s head office is located in Embakasi, Nairobi, with its hub at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.
The airline was wholly owned by the Government of Kenya until April 1995, and it was privatised in 1996, becoming the first African flag carrier to successfully do so. Kenya Airways is currently a public-private partnership. The largest shareholder is the Government of Kenya (29.8.%), followed by KLM, which has a 26.73% stake in the company.
Kenya Airways is one of the leading operators in Sub-Saharan Africa, with routes in both home and abroad — Africa, Europe, Middle East and Asia. In 2017, the airline operates 78 routes to 41 countries, with Ghana Included. carrying 4.59 million passengers, according to Routes Online. Passengers moving from Accra to Freetown, Abijan, Monrovia, Dubai, Kigali, Nairobi and other places
4. South African Airways
The largest airline in South Africa, South African Airways has its headquarters in Airways Park at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg.
The airline flies to 56 destinations worldwide, with Ghana included. It operates in partnership with SA Express, SA Airlink and its low cost carrier, Mango, within South Africa and across the continent, and nine intercontinental routes from its Johannesburg hub at OR Tambo International Airport, using a fleet of 54 aircraft. Musa Zwane has been acting CEO since November 2015. By 2016 it had 8 525 employees.
South African airlines transport passengers from Accra to almost all the capital cities in Africa, Dubai, and some parts of Europe.
5. Royal Air Maroc
More commonly known as RAM, Royal Air Maroc is the Moroccan national carrier as well as the country’s largest airline. RAM is fully owned by the government of Morocco, and has its headquarters on the grounds of Casablanca-Anfa Airport.
From its base at Mohammed V International Airport, the carrier operates a domestic network in Morocco, scheduled international flights to Africa, Asia, Europe, and North and South America, and occasional charter flights that include Hajj services. Air Maroc flies passengers from Accra to Mecca, Suadi Arabia, Dubai, Cairo and some cities in Asia and Europe.
This is Morocco’s largest and the oldest airline in Africa. With Ghana included, it currently operates services to about 97 destinations, both on International and Domestic. In 2017, Royal Air Maroc received more than 7 million passengers.
