Tough competition for domestic airlines in Ghana as Unity Air takes off

desmond frimpong

April 7, 2018 6:11 PM

The company has taken delivery of its first passenger aircraft- 30-seater Embraer 120 Extended Range (EM).

Unity Air, a subsidiary of Unity Group of Companies is set to rain in some competition for Ghana's domestic airline industry.The company has taken delivery of its first passenger aircraft- 30-seater Embraer 120 Extended Range (EM).In an interview with local news agency Business Guide, Roger Allotey, Head of Commercial Operations of Air Futures, said “There are a few things that we need to do. We have to clear a few documents with civil aviation, clear a few things with international civil aviation and international air transport, among others. Once we do that, we will be ready to commence operations”.

He further expressed that Unity Group’ operation in the aviation industry is a natural extension of a thriving business.Data showed that passenger airlifts in the country had dropped due to the reduction in domestic airlines over the past four years, he added“This means that if you are able to increase the number of airlines and capacity on the route then you will be able to increase the number of passengers who fly.”The new airline will fly to just three major cities in Ghana, being it Accra, Kumasi and Tamale.“We will have one trip to Kumasi and one to Tamale in the morning and the same in the afternoon. We do not want to fly after 6 pm as domestic terminals are not well equipped to operate in the evening. The schedules have been carefully planned in order not to conflict with current schedules operated by other domestic carriers. We will also be looking carefully at the numbers and making adjustments when the need arises,”.Currently, there is only one domestic airline operating in the country after the grounding of Starbow’s operations.Allotey also commented on their pricing.“We have experienced pilots and cabin crew but they need retraining specifically for this aircraft, and since we will be competing, we will have reasonable fares which may be cheaper than what other domestic airlines will be offering. Our focus is going to be on customer service”.

desmond frimpong