A rendering released in 2019 after Ghana made a tentative commitment to buy Boeing 787s for the new carrier.
Plans for the creation of a new national airline in Ghana have taken a step forward with the Ghanaian government awarding startup Ashanti Airlines and Zotus Group a tender to begin operations this year.
The airline, to be known as Ghana Airlines, will start flights from the nation’s capital, Accra. The date of the carrier’s first flight is yet to be announced. Domestic and regional routes will be served first, with long-haul services to destinations including London Heathrow and New York envisaged to follow.
UK-based investment group Zotus will fund the new entity. Ghana has been without a national carrier since the collapse of Ghana International Airlines in 2010. Zotus Group describes itself as “an organization dedicated to the development of humanitarian projects and transforming Africa and third world countries,” with a portfolio spanning areas such as hydrocarbons, manufacturing and agriculture.
Zotus was co-founded by former England international soccer player Emile Heskey and business development specialist Davison Simango.
“The time has come to return Ghana to the aviation map,” Ghanaian Transport Minister Kwaku Ofori Asiamah said when announcing the contract award to Ashanti and Zotus.
“Learning from past experiences and following best practices within the aviation industry, it is best to collaborate with the private sector,” the minister said.
Both Ethiopian Airlines and EgyptAir had earlier been linked with the planned new carrier as strategic partners but neither is involved at this stage. EgyptAir said in 2022 that there had been no movement in negotiations between the Ghanaian and Egyptian governments for some time.
In a statement, Zotus Group said that Heskey would lead what it described as “a credible board of directors along with aviation start-up specialist Hitesh Patel and business development expert Davison Simango.” The statement added that the airline is currently recruiting for a number of C-suite roles.
At the 2019 edition of Dubai Airshow, the Ghanaian government signed tentative commitments for three Boeing 787-9s and “up to six” De Havilland Canada Dash 8-400 turboprops for the new national carrier. However, it is not known if these will be the aircraft with which the new airline begins operations. In the Zotus statement, Heskey was quoted as saying: “We are in the market sourcing aircraft to start our operations.”
