To our special series on Rediscovering Africa. The aviation market has been booming on the continent. Ghana’s Africa World Airlines is a joint venture between Chinese and Ghanaian.
For many people in Ghana, travelling by air is becoming an easier and more affordable experience.
As the first African civil airline invested in by a Chinese company, AWA has already captured half of the aviation market in Ghana and has become one of the most popular regional airlines in West Africa.
MENSIMA Wilmot flies to Kumasi in Central Southern Ghana several times a week, and Africa World Airlines is always her first option.
Co-ventured by China’s HNA Group, the China-Africa Development Fund, Ghana’s Social Security and National Insurance Trust, and Ghana’s SAS Finance Group, AWA started operations in 2012 with Embraer 145 Jets.
After over 3 years expansion, their travel routes have increased from 1 at the very beginning to 22 scheduled domestic and international flights per day, and over 98% of its total of 216 staff are Ghanaian.
Chief Pilot Kuasi Oteng is grateful for Chinese shareholders who gave him an opportunity to put his training to good use and he is very optimistic about AWA’s future.
In addition to its strong financial support, AWA also inherited the strict safety management and service standards of Hainan airlines. It is the good safety management and good service that helped the airline win the award of Domestic Airline for 2014 from the Ghana Tourism Authority.
During his visit to Africa in 2014, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said Beijing encourages Chinese enterprises to form joint ventures with their African counterparts to improve Africa’s regional aviation industry.
As the forerunner of such cooperation, AWA is now aiming higher. CEO Luo Cheng has ambitious plans for the future of the airline.
During the past 3 years, almost four hundred and thirty thousand passengers have flown on Africa World Airlines.
As the commercial aviation industry takes flight in Ghana and West Africa, both Chinese and Ghanaian shareholders are optimistic.
They expect more air travel will bring closer connectivity and more investment opportunities to Ghana and beyond.
