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General News of Monday, 21 July 2003

Source: GNA

Don't Relax your rules, Ghanair told

Accra, July 21, GNA- Reverend Dennis Osei-Manu, Senior Pastor of the Soul Clinic International Church (SCIC) on Monday urged Ghana Airways not to relax on laid down operational principles if it is bent on making it in the industry.

He asked management of the national airline to be firm on taking sound investment decisions and push for drastic changes to bring the airline back on its feet.

Rev. Osei-Manu, who until recently was the Service Manager of KLM, the Royal Dutch Airlines in Accra, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) Business Desk that Ghana Airways has goodwill and immense potential to become a giant in the industry and in the West African sub-region in particular.

Rev. Osei-Manu who rose through the ranks to become the Service Manager at KLM was speaking after a Thanksgiving Service to commemorate a weeklong Mid-Year Convention after assuming full-time ministry.

He said: "If the airline is ready to be strict and apply the rules in the industry line by line, God will see it through." He said Ghana Airways has made too many compromises over the years on its operations and needs to quickly change its 'modus operandi' to survive and make fresh in roads for itself and redeem its image.

The Ghana Airways has started paying part of its 150-million dollar debt it owed its creditors.

Last month, government appointed a new Chief Executive to steer the cash-strapped company back to its glorious days as the most preferred airline in the sub-region and beyond.

Ghana Airways makes losses even when it is fully booked and runs the risk of being seized by one or other of its numerous creditors. It owes the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) about six million dollars.

Ghana airways contributes about 30 per cent of GCAA's annual revenue and its indebtedness, due to its inability to pay promptly airport passenger service charges collected on behalf of GCAA and aeronautical charges levied on its operations.

Ghana Airways has four aircrafts - two DC-9's and two DC-10's. The latter are currently undergoing maintenance in Rome. The company took delivery of another 26-year old DC-9 aircrafts from Boeing Capital Company of the US last Friday on lease to augment its operations along the West Coast.