Government is moving to position Ghana as West Africa’s aviation hub by rectifying long-standing Bilateral Air Service Agreements, BASA, that were never approved by Parliament.
Minister for Transport, Hon. Joseph Bukari Nikpe, said the move will provide the legal backing commercial airlines require before using Ghana’s airspace and airports.
Addressing the Parliamentary Press after the House moved motions to ratify the agreements, the Saboba MP explained that several of the deals were signed decades ago but remained unrectified.
“Today basically we came to parliament to rectify a lot of the agreements that have been signed over the years, some dating to nineteen eighty-eight, of the Bilateral Air Service between the Republic of Ghana and other countries that are desirous to do air service within our air space and our airports,” Hon. Nikpe said.
He noted that airlines insist on formal agreements before operating in a country.
“You understand that before any commercial airline will use your air space they will want to find out how, if there are issues, those issues will be addressed. They will want to find out whether the country they are operating with has any agreement with the operating country or the countries they are operating from,” he stated.
According to the Minister, Parliament’s ratification now gives Ghana reciprocal rights.
“Because this will now allow us to use the various air space of the countries that are signing the agreement with,” Hon. Nikpe added.
BASAs set the rules on flight frequencies, routes, fares, and designated airlines between countries. Without ratification, Ghana could not fully benefit from agreements signed since 1988, limiting airline growth and connectivity.
The Ministry of Transport says the ratification is part of a broader plan to increase traffic at Kotoka International Airport and attract more carriers to make Accra a transit point for the sub-region.