Air Commodore KK Pumpuni , a former pilot of the defunct national carrier, Ghana Airways, has shared insights into how political interference contributed to the decline in operations of the airline in the 1970s.
Speaking in an interview with Kafui Dey on March 9, 2026, Air Commodore KK Pumpuni recounted how he was once seconded to help manage the airline during a period when the company was facing operational difficulties.
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“Well, I was seconded, just like those days, to go and manage the Ghana Airways, because they thought they had problems there, and I could help out,” he stated.
According to him, he spent three years at the airline and managed to implement measures that improved its financial performance during that period.
“So, I was seconded there for three years. I'm quite happy I had that experience. For the first time, Ghana Airways posted some profit in 1973, after I'd been there for about a year,” he indicated.
Pumpuni added that the improved financial situation allowed management to reward staff members for the first time in the airline’s history.
“We were able to even give bonus to staff at Christmas. It had never happened before but there was enough to give bonus to the whole staff. Everybody had a percentage of his pay,” he explained.
However, the former pilot indicated that the airline’s operations were heavily influenced by political decisions, which he believes undermined its sustainability.
“Ghana Airways, it was, as usual, being run on a political basis. I'm not a politician to start with, so whatever decision I take, I'm taking it to the best of my knowledge and also to the best of the organisation. So, you at least cut some of the major things off,” he revealed.
The former pilot further alleged that political figures and senior government officials frequently used the airline’s services without paying for them, placing an additional burden on the company’s finances.
“Political people fly on Ghana Airways, senior people with all sorts of loads, no pay, nothing, they just push them in and go,” he said in his interview.
Being the national carrier from 1958 until 2005, Ghana Airways eventually ceased operations in 2005 after years of operational and financial challenges.
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Meanwhile, in January 2026, the Minister of Transport, Joseph Bukari Nikpe, hinted at plans by the government to relaunch a national airline for Ghana.
Political figures were flying Ghana Airways with their loads without paying. We stopped it and in 1973, a year after I took over, the airline made a profit and staff received bonuses - Air Commodore K.K. Pumpuni
— Kafui Dey (@KafuiDey) March 10, 2026
Full interview here https://t.co/2hRSMTA9lW#KafuiDeyInterviews pic.twitter.com/gH9FUwslQE
MAG/VPO
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