GGEA urges govt and Lufthansa to resolve impasse

Accra, July 19, GNA - Members of the Ghanaian-German Business Community have urged the Government and Lufthansa to quickly resolve the underlying differences between them to restore "normalcy" in the aviation sector.

A statement signed by Stephen Antwi, President of the Ghanaian-German Economic Association (GGEA), said the business community was alarmed by the collapse of negotiations between Lufthansa and the Government of Ghana represented by the Ministry of Aviation, resulting in Lufthansa's decisions to take Ghana off its destination map from 15th July 2007. "This development represents a step backwards in the evolving economic relationship between Ghana and Germany", the statement said. It said the commencement of daily flights from Accra to Frankfurt had brought a feeling of closeness in the relationship not just between business people from the two countries but also families, friends and professionals among others.

"We are aware that negotiations have resumed at the highest levels and encourage the parties to quickly resolve the underlying issues," the statement said.

Lufthansa announced on Sunday that it was suspending its operations between Accra and Frankfurt, following Government's failure to approve the Airline's daily flights to Ghana. The Government offered Lufthansa two flights in a week, a proposal which the latter rejected.

However, Government accused Lufthansa of bad faith for the withdrawal of operations when attempts were being made to resolve the issue.