Ashanti Airlines outbids suitors, named partner of Ghana’s new flag carrier

The Government of Ghana has chosen Ashanti Airlines as a strategic investor in its pursuit to establish a new national carrier.

The deal with Ashanti Airlines is now finalized, with the last stages of the financial agreements left to be completed by the government’s new partner, according to an AviationGhana report.

Ashanti Airlines is now seeking to hire employees as it plans to carry out the final stages of acquiring an Air Operator Certificate (AOC) to commence operations by the end of 2022, the report continues.

Ashanti Airlines wins bid, over EgyptAir, Ethiopian Airlines and JNH Group
Ghana’s aviation industry has been without a national carrier for 12 years, following the collapse of former national airlines Ghana Airways in 2004, and Ghana International Airlines, six years later in 2010.

After years of unsuccessful attempts to attract partners to resurrect a new home-based airline, hopes for a new national carrier materialized in May 2022, with the Ghanaian government announcing plans to name a new partner from a list of potential suitors.

On this list of suitors, were Ashanti Airlines, EgyptAir, Ethiopian Airlines and financial firm JNH Group.

Ashanti Airlines itself is based in Ghana and is owned by local business magnates Osei Kwame Despite, co-founder of the Despite Group of Companies and his partner, Ernest Ofori Sarpong.

EgyptAir, the state-owned flag carrier of Egypt, operates from its hub at Cairo International Airport. Based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopian Airlines is an East-African airline and aviation group. JNH Group is a Ghanaian management consultancy firm and brokerage.

However, despite the plausible edge in the competition and prestige offered by other suitors, Ashanti Airlines was favored to win the bid.