GIA Begins Operations By December

The new face of the national carrier-Ghana International Airline, GIA, will by the end of this year begin its full operations.

Deputy Minster for Roads and Transport, Emmanuel Adjei Boye disclosed this in Accra at the launch of a new KLM aircraft known as MD-11.

Mr. Adjei Boye said in order to make the GIA's operations take off without any hitches, modern fleet of aircraft will be acquired to improve the services of the airline.

Government reached a deal with the new partner to redeem the ailing national airline, Ghana Airways from its current predicament.

They are expected to invest an initial 2.1 million dollar capital, which constitutes 30 per cent of the investment needed in the short term to resuscitate the national carrier.

GIA will head the management team and the government of Ghana's interest will be represented on the board of the new company.

GIA is expected to make a total capital overhaul of about 55million dollars.

Mr. Adjei said at the launch that recent developments at Ghana Airways have been of major concern to government, adding that government is doing its best to resolve the problems facing the airline.

The Deputy Transport Minister gave the assurance that government is taking the appropriate steps to restore the confidence of the travelling public in the national carrier.

The introduction of the new MD-11 aircraft by KLM is to increase the capacity of the Accra-Amsterdam route by 30 percent.

At the launch of the aircraft, the General Manager of KLM, West Africa, Marco Redeker, said the introduction of the flight is a positive development to meet the needs of the travelling public in Ghana as well as the international market.

Mr Redeker expressed the hope that the airline will continue to collaborate with all stakeholders in the aviation sector to develop the air transport business in Ghanaian and beyond.