■ GHANA: Antrak Air boss threatens Accra with legal action if plans for national carrier progress.

The founder and Chairman of domestic Ghanaian operator, Antrak Air (4O), Alhaji Asuma Banda, has threaten legal action against the government should plans to establish a new national carrier proceed. Earlier this year, Minster of Transport, Dzifa Attivor, had set forth a proposal involving the creation of a new national carrier, albeit under a  a Public/Private Partnership.

■ GHANA: GCAA freezes issuance of domestic operator licences in response to Antrak's, Starbow's threats to pull out.

Responding to threats by local carriers Antrak Air (O4) and Starbow Airlines (S9) to withdraw from the oversubscribed Ghanaian market, the Ghanaian Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) says it has henceforth placed a moratorium on the issuance of domestic airline licences. At present, Ghana has four local operators including Africa World Airlines (AW) and Fly540 Ghana (5G). A fifth, CTK CityLink (CTY) went bankrupt last year.

■ GHANA: Antrak Air mulls quitting Ghana citing market-overcrowding, exhorbitant costs.

The CEO of Ghanaian domestic operator, Antrak Air (O4), Alhaji Asuma Banda, says he is seriously considering pulling out of the country as the presence of too many carriers on the Ghanaian domestic scene has rendered it almost impossible to operate an airline profitably.

► GHANA: Antrak Air reassures public after ATR72 suffers inflight engine-fire.

Ghana's Antrak Air (O4) has assured the travelling public that both its services and aircraft are safe following an incident on August 16 involving one of its two ATR72-500s, (MCN 809 | EC-KUL) being forced to shutdown its left-hand engine while on climb out of Tamale (Ghana), enroute to Accra.

► NIGERIA: Ghana's Fly540 supposedly granted rights to serve Nigeria; Antrak Air to follow.

Reports out of Ghana claim that Fly540 Ghana (5G) has at last been tentatively granted traffic rights to Nigeria following the intervention of the Ghanaian Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA).

■ DUBAI: Mercator signs up Algeria's Tassili and Ghana's Antrak for its Avantik PSS.

Mercator, the aviation IT solution provider, has signed up Algeria's Tassili Airlines (SF) and Ghana's Antrak Air (4O) to Avantik suite, a Passenger Services System (PSS) aimed at low cost and regional carriers.

■ GHANA: Fuel shortages ground domestic airlines 'til Tuesday; international operators forced to make other plans.

An ongoing jet fuel crisis caused by supply problems in Togo and exacerbated by lack of reserve at the national oil refinery in Tema, has compelled Ghana's domestic operators to suspend flights for the next three days (Sunday included), say reports out of Accra.

► GHANA: Antrak Air to launch Kumasi - Tamale from 28 January.

Ghanaian domestic operator Antrak Air (4O) is to launch daily Kumasi - Tamale flights using an ATR72-500 effective tomorrow Monday 28 January 2013.

► GHANA: Antrak Air adds second ATR72 to its fleet.

Ghanaian domestic operator Antrak Air (O4) last week took delivery of its second ATR72-200 (MCN: 171 | EC-KAD) from Spain's Swiftair, a month after the airline returned to active service with another Swiftair ATR72, as the Ghanaian airline scene begins to heat up. 

► GHANA: Starbow expands regionally; Antrak returns to the skies whilst CTK CiTylinK suspends operations.

Ghana's civil aviation market has started to heat up considerably ahead of the launch of two new airlines - Africa World Airlines in September (tentatively) and that of Fly540's successor FastJet in November.