■ GHANA: Slovenian business aviation specialist, Elit'Avia, sets up shop in Accra.

Slovenia's Elit’Avia, a fully-integrated provider of business aircraft charter, management and operation services, has announced that it has opened an office in Accra, Ghana and is currently managing four business aircraft for West African clients, specifically: two Bombardier Global 6000s and a Bombardier Global XRS in Nigeria, plus a Dassault Falcon 2000 in Ghana. Management of these aircraft is a blend of both exclusive client use and charter availability.

► GHANA: Aero Surveys Ltd appoints Sukhjinder Mann CFO of Starbow Airlines.

The board of directors and management of Aero Surveys Limited,  operators of Ghana's Starbow Airlines (S9), have announced the appointment of Mr Sukhjinder Mann to the position of Chief Financial Officer. Mr Mann arrived at the airline 7 months ago as the Financial Controller and has been the acting CFO for over 3 months.

● IATA: Strong domestic pax traffic in Ghana, Nigeria, Ethiopia & the DRC buoys African growth as cargo ekes up in June.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has released its June passenger demand figures showing year-on-year global growth of 6.0%. Africa saw a growth of 11.2% with African airlines benefiting from strong domestic economic growth in key markets such as Ghana, Nigeria, Ethiopia and the Democratic Republic of Congo. While global air freight demand figures showed a 1.2% year-on-year expansion, Africa's figures showed growth in June of 2.4% on June 2012.

► GHANA: Report claims pilot error partly to blame for the 2012 Allied Air Cargo 727F crash in Accra.

The chairman of the investigative committee for the June 2, 2012 crash of a Nigerian Allied Air (4W) cargo B727-200F (MSN  22540 | 5N-BJN) at Accra Kotoka International Airport which killed 10 people on the ground, has presented the final report to the Ghanaian Ministry of Transport for consideration. Among the findings by Captain Alec Grant Sam and his committee are that the pilots of the 727 "were partly to blame" for the accident, having touched down too far along runway 21 to allow them to stop safely.

► ROMANIA: Ghana's Starbow Airlines awards BAe 146 MRO contract to Aerostar.

Romanian MRO outfit, Aerostar S.A., has won a contract from Starbow Airlines (S9) of Ghana to carry out ‘C’ checks on its fleet of four BAe 146 regional jetliners. The first aircraft, a BAe 146-300 (MSN E3123 | 9G-SBB), arrived at Aerostar’s Bacau facility on May 31 and departed on schedule on 2 July. 

► NIGERIA: Ghana's Africa World Airlines confident of gaining Lagos, Abuja rights despite delays.

Africa World Airlines (AW) has joined the growing list of Ghanaian carriers eager to break into the lucrative Nigerian market but which has thus far encountered various bureaucratic obstacles.

■ GHANA: CACC hands over preliminary designs for new Accra International Airport to government.

Ghanaian Minister of Transport, Ms Dzifa Attivor, says preliminary designs for Accra's new international airport have been presented to the Ghana Airports Company Limited. The project will be undertaken by the China Airports Construction Corporation (CACC) and is intended to transform Accra into a regional West African hub.

► GHANA: South African Airways to tentatively boost Accra to daily from August.

According to AirlineRoute, South African Airways (SA) will from 7 August 2013 introduce a 7th weekly frequency on its Johannesburg – Accra route. The added service, which is still subject to government approval, will operate Wednesdays using an Airbus A330-200.

● GHANA: First African Air Expo due to be held in Accra from 9 - 11 October 2014.

A completely new African aviation exhibition, African Air Expo 2014, was launched at this year’s Cannes AirShow when Didier Mary, Managing Director of AirShow organizers, Adone Events signed a protocol agreement to organize the show. Under the patronage of the President of the Republic of Ghana, Mr John Dramani Mahama and the Minister of Transport, Mrs Dzifa Ativor, Adone Events will coordinate the exhibition to be held in Ghana 9 – 11 October, 2014.   The event will take place at Kotoka International Airport in Accra, capital of Ghana, and will welcome exhibitors and delegates from across the Sub-Saharan region.

► GHANA: Virgin Atlantic axes Heathrow - Accra from late September.

AirlineRoute reports that British carrier Virgin Atlantic (VS) is to abandon its five-times weekly service from London Heathrow to Accra, Ghana with effect from September 23. Should the move be confirmed, it would leave Virgin's Africa network at being just Johannesburg, Cape Town and Lagos following its withdrawal from Nairobi, Kenya last year.

► CAMEROON: Camair-Co to replace 767 with a leased 777 Christian Perchat says.

Cameroon's Camair Co (QC) is reportedly in talks with an undisclosed aircraft leasing company regarding the possible addition of a Boeing 777 to its fleet. The jet will be used to replace its current lone 767-300ER used for long haul flights to France.

■ TANZANIA: fastjet looks to reduce holding in Fly540 Tanzania as its Ghana, Angola, Kenya outfits "all underperform".

fastjet (FN), in its results for the 18 month period to 31 December 2012 has said that its Fly540 businesses in Tanzania, Kenya, Ghana and Angola - acquired from Lonrho Plc - have "all seriously underperformed relative to expectations" with management having now taken the necessary steps to restructure these businesses and remove legacy inefficiencies. Overall, fastjet says it had posted a loss before tax of USD55million, including USD23.5million of write-downs of goodwill and other matters. As a consequence, the airline says it will focus its attentions on its nascent South African operations with plans to reduce its majority shareholding in Fly540 Tanzania to various undisclosed Tanzanian shareholders.

► 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).

►► GHANA: Royal Jordanian to start Lagos, Accra from early July..

[UPDATE 21 MAY] Jordanian operator, Royal Jordanian (RJ) is to venture into West Africa beginning late-June 2013 through the introduction of  of a twice weekly Amman - Lagos - Accra set to be operated with an Airbus A330-200.

► LIBYA: Afriqiyah eyeing more West African flight resumptions "in due course".

Libyan carrier, Afriqiyah (8U), is set to relaunch flights to West Africa in the coming weeks as the carrier seeks to re-establish its former Sub-Saharan network, suspended following the fall of Muammur Gaddhafi's regime.

■ 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.

►► SÃO TOMÉ & PRÍNCIPE: South African Beechcraft 1900C disappears into Gulf of Guinea in rough weather; no survivors.

A South African registered Beechcraft 1900C-1 (unconfirmed MCN UC-74 | ZS-PHL) has reportedly disappeared without trace in the Gulf of Guinea, 14km off the coast of the West African nation of São Tomé & Príncipe.

■ GHANA: Government okays $100million allocation for construction of a major international airport in Tamale.

The Ghanaian Parliament has greenlighted the allocation of USD100million needed for the construction of a major international airport in Tamale, capital of  the Northern Region. The Ghana Airports Company (GACL), who will ultimately be responsible for the running of the facility once it is open, are still to approve the project's final designs, currently being done by an unnamed Brazilian firm, before construction can begin.

■ NIGERIA: Ghana's Minister of Transport decries Nigeria's double-talk regarding the granting of traffic rights.

Ghana's Minister of Transport, Dzifa Attivor, has bemoaned Nigeria's inaction in granting Ghanaian airlines rights to operate into Nigerian airports, despite the fact that Nigeria is a signatory to the Yamoussoukro Agreement which concerns the liberalisation of access to air transport markets in Africa (the Yamoussoukro Decision) and which entered into force on 12 August 2000. The Yamoussoukro Decision takes precedence over any multilateral or bilateral agreements on air services between States Parties which are incompatible with the Decision.

► RWANDA: Rwandair outlines new Accra via Lagos and Douala via Brazzaville, Libreville ops.

Rwandan national carrier, RwandAir (WB) has outlined its planned Kigali - Accra and Kigali - Brazzaville - Libreville - Douala services due to launch in June. According to Amadeus, Accra flights will operate 3x weekly via Lagos, Nigeria with Rwandair obtaining 5th Freedom rights between Lagos and Accra. Douala flights will operate 4x weekly.