GHANA CIVAIR UPDATE - POSITIVE CHANGES AND REAL

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ACCRA 002382

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

DEPARTMENT PLEASE PASS TO FAA NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS WASH DC
FOR LARRY KEPHART
DAKAR FOR ED JONES

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EINV EAIR GH ECON
SUBJECT: GHANA CIVAIR UPDATE - POSITIVE CHANGES AND REAL
RESULTS

REF: ACCRA 407


1. (U) Summary: Ghana's civil aviation sector has entered a
period of rebuilding after a year which saw the demise of
Ghana Airways, the crash of Ghana-based MK Airlines' 747 in
Nova Scotia, and the subsequent downgrade of the Ghana Civil
Aviation Authority (GCAA),which barred all Ghanaian carriers
from flying to the US (reftel). Ghana International Airways,
a new company with American management, has become the
national carrier and begun operations despite the strenuous
objections of former Ghana Airways employees. The GoG and
GCAA have shown good faith by allowing North American Airways
to take advantage of the US-Ghana Open Skies agreement and
provide direct service between Accra and New York. GCAA
appears to be on track to regain Category 1 status by May of

2006. End Summary.

Ghana International Airlines
--------------


2. (U) Ghana's new national carrier, Ghana International
Airlines (GIA),made its maiden flight from Accra to London
on October 29. GIA plans to service the route daily with a
757 wet-leased from US-based Ryan Air.


3. (SBU) GIA's Vice-President for Operation, Amcit Albert
Vitale, told Econoff October 22 that the company had received
several threats from former employees of the now-defunct
Ghana Airways. GIA's American managers and the GoG are taking
these threats seriously after a former Ghana Airways employee
attempted to infiltrate a group of GIA flight attendants
scheduled to attend a training session October 19 in London.
Vitale told EconOff that he received word from a current GIA
employee that the former Ghana Airways employee intended to
cause 'mischief' on either the flight to London or in the
training session. The former employee was stopped in Kotoka
Airport by National Security agents and a representative of
the British High Commission to Ghana, who revoked his UK
visa. GIA has added several layers of security to prevent
incidents. Vitale reported that GoG cooperation on this
issue was "excellent."


4. (SBU) GIA plans to add a second wet leased aircraft --also
from Ryan Air-- before the end of the year to provide service
to Dusseldorf and Johannesburg. Vitale plans to have two
767s -- operated by GIA crews -- in Accra in December and in
operation by March, 2006. These 767s will service the North
American routes GIA inherited from Ghana Airways. According
to Vitale, Ethiopian Airlines, which had agreed to provide
service to North America for GIA under a code-share
agreement, has not come forward with the technical and
financial assistance it originally agreed to provide to GIA.


5. (U) The arrival of these 767s is an important step in the
licensing of GIA, which is central to GCAA's bid to regain
Category I status. FAA cited licensing of an airline by GCAA
under Ghana's new Civil Aviation Act --passed in December
2004-- as one of the prerequisites for the reinstatement of
Category I status. GIA has already applied for its license
and submitted safety manuals to GCAA. Vitale told EconOff he
hopes to get GIA licensed by the end of March 2006.

North American Airlines
--------------


6. (SBU) North American continues to provide the only direct
service between Accra and North America with a weekly flight
to New York. According to Country Director Obed Owusu-Kissi,
at least one additional flight will be added in April of

2006. North American is also seriously considering offering
service between New York and Lagos and Baltimore and Banjul
within the next year.

Ghana Civil Aviation Authority and FAA's visit
-------------- -


7. (U) FAA Regional Representative Ed Jones visited Ghana
October to assess GCAA's progress towards recovering Category
I status, which will allow Ghanaian flagged carriers to fly
to the US. Jones reported that GCAA had made significant
progress on its training agenda created in the wake of FAA's
February 2005 assessment and subsequent downgrade. GCAA has
managed to address most of the major training deficiencies
outlined in FAA's report.


8. (SBU) According to Jones, training for GCAA's flight
operations inspectors -- which requires inspectors to
demonstrate proficiency in the systems and operation of the
specific aircraft types in use by domestic carriers -- is
lagging, mainly due to the upcoming retirement of both of
GCAA's operations inspectors. GCAA told Jones that they had
hired four new inspectors and hoped to have them trained and
certified as soon as possible. GIA's Albert Vitale (see para
3) expressed GIA's willingness to allow GCAA inspectors
access to the 767s for training purposes. GCAA has also
formally requested technical assistance from FAA to assist in
the final licensing of GIA. (NOTE: GCAA's Acting Director
General Nii Badoo told EconOff that the current inspectors
were not retiring so much as they were being retired. End
Note.)

COMMENT
--------------

9. (SBU) It appears that GCAA and GIA are working together to
address FAA's concerns and move the licensing process forward
as quickly as possible. Fortunately, both parties seem to
have a similar understanding of what constitutes the
possible. GCAA's has benefited greatly from President
Kufuor's decision to have it report directly to his office
rather than the Ministry of Roads and Transport. EconOff can
attest to a real change in GCAA's atmosphere and employee
morale as compared to the months immediately after last
year's Ghana Airways debacle. GCAA's managers answer
questions directly, make decisions, and understand exactly
what has been done and what is needed to remake GCAA into a
functioning and authoritative civair oversight body. End
Comment.
LANIER