Ghana Airways

Ghana Airways was an airline based at Kotoka International Airport, Accra, Ghana. All operations ceased in 2004 and the company was placed into liquidation. Ghana now has a new national airline, Ghana International Airlines, a partnership between the Government and US-based private investors.

Code data

*IATA Code: GH
*ICAO Code: GHA
*Callsign: GHANA

History

The airline was established on 4 July 1958 and started operations on 15 July 1958, taking over the Ghana-based domestic and international services of West African Airways Corporation. Domestic services were discontinued in September 1991.

In the early 2000s, Ghana Airways chartered Airbus A330 aircraft from Canadian operator SkyService Airlines and McDonnell Douglas MD-11 aircraft from USA operator World Airways to perform part of its North American operations. In late 2003, it suffered from DC-10 aircraft becoming inoperable due to maintenance obligations and as a result was forced to cancel a large segment of its long-range flights until it purchased two ex-Hawaiian Airlines DC-10 aircraft.

On 28 July 2004, Ghana Airways was barred from flying to and from the United States for safety reasons. [http://www.voanews.com/article.cfm?objectID=664E3A2F-0476-439E-9E87923CF7A1509F] . On 13 August 2004, the board of Ghana Airways was sacked and tickets were no longer sold. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/3561480.stm]

The airline ceased all operations and has since been replaced by Ghana International Airlines, a private-public partnership, as the national carrier of Ghana.

Services

Ghana Airways flew to North America, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. Destinations it served included:

Africa

[http://web.archive.org/web/20010604190104/www.ghanairways.com/schedule.html]
* Benin
** Cotonou [http://web.archive.org/web/20001018084151/www.ghana-airways.com/schedules/schedules.htm]
* Burkina Faso (formerly Upper Volta))
** Ouagadougou [http://web.archive.org/web/20001018084151/www.ghana-airways.com/schedules/schedules.htm]
* Cameroon
** Douala [http://web.archive.org/web/20010406112348/www.ghana-airways.com/schedules/schedules.htm]
* Canary Islands (Spain)
** Las Palmas, Gran Canaria
* Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast)
** Abidjan [http://web.archive.org/web/20001018084151/www.ghana-airways.com/schedules/schedules.htm]
* Egypt
** Cairo [http://timetableimages.com/i-gj/ghana6.jpg]
* The Gambia
** Banjul (formerly Bathurst) [http://timetableimages.com/i-gj/ghana6.jpg] [http://web.archive.org/web/19980111035524/ghana-airways.com/sched.html] [http://web.archive.org/web/20001018084151/www.ghana-airways.com/schedules/schedules.htm]
* Ghana
** Accra (Kotoka International Airport) Hub [http://web.archive.org/web/19980111035524/ghana-airways.com/sched.html]
** Kumasi [http://timetableimages.com/i-gj/ghana6.jpg]
** Sunyani
** Takoradi
** Tamale
* Guinea
** Conakry [http://timetableimages.com/i-gj/ghana6.jpg] [http://web.archive.org/web/19980111035524/ghana-airways.com/sched.html] [http://web.archive.org/web/20001018084151/www.ghana-airways.com/schedules/schedules.htm]
* Liberia
** Monrovia (Robertsfield) [http://web.archive.org/web/20001018084151/www.ghana-airways.com/schedules/schedules.htm] [http://timetableimages.com/i-gj/ghana6.jpg]
* Mali
** Bamako [http://web.archive.org/web/20001018084151/www.ghana-airways.com/schedules/schedules.htm]
* Nigeria
** Lagos [http://web.archive.org/web/20001018084151/www.ghana-airways.com/schedules/schedules.htm]
* Senegal
** Dakar [http://web.archive.org/web/19980111035524/ghana-airways.com/sched.html] [http://web.archive.org/web/20001018084151/www.ghana-airways.com/schedules/schedules.htm]
* Sierra Leone
** Freetown [http://web.archive.org/web/19980111035524/ghana-airways.com/sched.html] [http://web.archive.org/web/20001018084151/www.ghana-airways.com/schedules/schedules.htm]
* South Africa
** Johannesburg [http://web.archive.org/web/19980111035524/ghana-airways.com/sched.html]
* Togo
** Lomé [http://web.archive.org/web/19980111035524/ghana-airways.com/sched.html]
* Zimbabwe
** Harare [http://web.archive.org/web/19980111035524/ghana-airways.com/sched.html]

In addition, Ghana Airways planned to fly to the following destinations [http://web.archive.org/web/20010406112348/www.ghana-airways.com/schedules/schedules.htm] :
* Angola
** Luanda
* Ethiopia
** Addis Ababa
* Niger
** Niamey
* Zambia
** Lusaka

Asia

* Lebanon
** Beirut [http://timetableimages.com/i-gj/ghana6.jpg]

Ghana Airways planned to re-start Beirut and fly to Dubai, United Arab Emirates [http://web.archive.org/web/20010406112348/www.ghana-airways.com/schedules/schedules.htm] .

Europe

* United Kingdom
** London [http://timetableimages.com/i-gj/ghana6.jpg] [http://web.archive.org/web/20001018084151/www.ghana-airways.com/schedules/schedules.htm] (Heathrow Airport [http://web.archive.org/web/19980111035524/ghana-airways.com/sched.html] )
* Germany
** Düsseldorf (Düsseldorf International Airport) [http://web.archive.org/web/19980111035524/ghana-airways.com/sched.html] [http://web.archive.org/web/20001018084151/www.ghana-airways.com/schedules/schedules.htm]
* Italy
** Rome [http://timetableimages.com/i-gj/ghana6.jpg] [http://web.archive.org/web/19980111035524/ghana-airways.com/sched.html] [http://web.archive.org/web/20001018084151/www.ghana-airways.com/schedules/schedules.htm]
* Switzerland
** Zurich [http://timetableimages.com/i-gj/ghana6.jpg]

North America

[http://web.archive.org/web/20010604190104/www.ghanairways.com/schedule.html]
* United States
** New York City (John F. Kennedy International Airport) [http://web.archive.org/web/20001018084151/www.ghana-airways.com/schedules/schedules.htm] [http://web.archive.org/web/19980111035524/ghana-airways.com/sched.html]
** Baltimore/Washington D.C. (Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport)

In addition, Ghana Airways planned to develop a nonstop Atlanta, Georgia, United States to Accra flight and a Toronto, Ontario, Canada flight to Accra via Dakar [http://web.archive.org/web/20010406112348/www.ghana-airways.com/schedules/schedules.htm] .

Fleet

*"various" Boeing 377 Stratocruiser (July 1958--August 1959; wet leased from B.O.A.C.; five different aircraft involved)

*2 de Havilland Heron 2 (January 1959--c.1964)

*4 Douglas C-47/DC-3 (February 1959--1970; one destroyed on ground at Port Harcourt in 1967 during Biafra war after having been seized by Biafra Air Force; one written off near Takoradi in 1969 with one fatality)

*"various" Bristol Britannia 102 (April 1959--November 1960; wet leased from B.O.A.C.; at least six different aircraft involved)

*1 Bristol Britannia 309 (1960--1972)

*1 Bristol Britannia 319 (1960--1963)

*10 Ilyushin Il-18V (1960--1963/64)

*1 Antonov An-12 (1960--63)

*1 de Havilland Comet 4 (March 1961; wet leased from B.O.A.C. to transport President Nkrumah to/from the U.S.A.)

*3 Vickers Viscount 838 (1961--1974; one sub-wet leased to Nigeria Airways for joint operations)

*2 Boeing 707-463C (ordered 1960; order cancelled 1962)

*"various" Convair 990A (December 1963--February 1965; wet leased from Swissair; six different aircraft involved)

*3 Vickers 1102 VC10 (February 1965--December 1980; second aircraft of order built with side cargo door (destroyed in late 1968 in Israeli commando raid on Beirut airport while on lease to Middle East Airlines); third aircraft of order built with side cargo door, however cancelled before delivery and aircraft re-sold to British United Airways)

*1 HS.748-214 (1970; leased from manufacturer)

*2 HS.748-254 (1970--1973; one written off in a training accident at Accra in January 1971)

*2 Fokker F27-200 (c. 1973-1974?; leased from Nigeria Airways)

*3 Douglas DC-8-32/33 (short periods during c. 1970--78; wet leased from Charlotte Aircraft Leasing, U.S.A. to release the airline's VC10 for heavy maintenance; one received temporary Ghanaian registration)

*2 Boeing 707-351C (1975; projected purchase from Northwest Airlines; contract not completed and aircraft not delivered)

*1 Douglas DC-9-31 (c. 1975?; wet leased from Hughes Airwest)

*1 Douglas DC-9-50 (c. 1976; leased from Hawaiian Airlines in hybrid livery and retaining U.S. registration)

*1 Boeing 707-344 (c. 1977; wet leased from GECAS/Luxair, retaining Luxembourg registration)

*1 Vickers Viscount 814 (c. 1978; leased from Lufthansa/Condor Flugdienst in full Ghana Airways livery but retaining West German registration; sub-wet leased to Nigeria Airways)

*5 Douglas DC-9-51 (1978--2004; first aircraft new, written off in an accident at Abidjan in 1997; others second-hand, one written off in an accident at Conakry in 2002)

*2 Fokker F28-1000 (1978--1979 and 1981; temporarily leased from the manufacturer in full livery but retaining Netherlands registrations)

*2 Fokker F28-2000 (1979--1997; one written off in a training accident at Accra in 1981)

*"various" McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 (1980--1983; wet leased from K.L.M.; at least four different aircraft involved)

*1 Fokker F28-4000 (1982--1997; purchased to replace the F28-2000 previously written off)

*7 McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 (1983--2004; first aircraft new; second leased from JAT, third leased from Skyjet (Belgium) in full livery; four others obtained second hand)

*2 Douglas DC-9-32 (1993; wet leased from Interstate Airlines Nigeria; second aircraft possibly received Ghanaian registration but might not have entered service)

*1 Fokker F27-600 (c. 1991 onward; wet leased from Ghana Air Force)

*1 Fokker F27-400M (c. 1991--2000; wet leased from Ghana Air Force)

*1 McDonnell Douglas MD-11P (1994; wet leased from World Airways)

*1 Douglas DC-8-55F (c. 2001); wet leased from MK Airlines)

*1 Douglas DC-9-32 (c. 2001; wet leased from Millionair)

*2 Airbus A320-214 (2002; wet leased from Lotus Air (Egypt)

*1 Airbus A330-300 (2003; wet leased from Skyservice Airlines (Canada)

*2 Douglas DC-9-50 (2004; leased in hybrid Africa One/Ghana Airways colours)

External links

*wayback|http://www.ghana-airways.com|Ghana Airways official website