Minister orders GCAA to inspect Goldstar Airlines aircraft after impasse

Following a resolution of the impasse between Goldstar Airlines and the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) over the inspection of the airline’s aircraft, Mrs Dzifa Attivor, Minister for Transport has requested the Authority to go and inspect the aircraft with the Ghana business registration.

Goldstar Airlines has subsequently called off an intended protest march slated for Monday, August 3, 2015.
The decision was arrived due to the timely intervention of the Greater Accra Police Regional Commander COP Christian Tetteh Yohuno.

This followed a meeting between officials of Goldstar Airlines and the GCAA under the chairperson of the Minister of transport Mrs Attivor and the Chief Director of the Ministry.

The protest march which had been scheduled to coincide with the maiden flight of South African Airways to Washington, was the same route Goldstar Airlines applied for 18 months ago.

Mr Eric Bannerman, Chief Executive Officer of Goldstar Airline told journalists the protest was to be peaceful and to start from Mantse Agbonaa in James Town though Opera Square to Tema Station.

A petition was scheduled to be presented to the Minister of Transport, Speaker of Parliament, the Chief of Staff and the Director General of Ghana’s Civil Aviation to compel them dispatch a team of technical Aviation experts to the United States to inspect the aircraft as prescribed by law.

“Per the charter requirement, the Ghana Tourist Authority had requested the Civil Aviation Authority to dispatch a team of Aviation experts to inspect our aircraft and equipment in the United States to enable them complete the paperwork of Goldstar Airlines license to start its charter operation,” Mr Bannrman said.

He however pointed out that the request by the Ghana Tourist Authority for Ghana Civil Aviation Authority to do the inspection was turned down by the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority much to the embarrassment of the Ghana Tourist Authority and Goldstar Airlines.

This, he said resulted in the misunderstanding between Goldstar Airlines and Ghana Civil Aviation Authority, as Goldstar questioned the refusal and attitude of discriminating against Goldstar.

“The meeting was at the instance of the Honorable Minister of Transport upon the intervention of the Regional Command.

“The tussle arose on the business registration of the airline with officials of the Ghana Civil Aviation Authorities insisting that Goldstar Airline used a foreign business registration instead of the Ghana business registration,” the Goldstar CEO said.

He added that after a resolution of the stalemate on the issue the sector minister requested the civil aviation authorities to go and inspect the aircraft with the Ghana business registration, hence the calling off the protest march.