Ghana to Shortlist Five Bidders for New National Airline | By Dominick Andoh
Ghana’s long-delayed effort to establish a new national airline is moving into a decisive phase, with the National Carrier Task Force expected to submit a shortlist of five candidates to the Ministry of Transport by Wednesday, September 30, 2026, for onward submission to Cabinet.
The shortlist will narrow a field that attracted about 40 candidates during the first stage of the government’s search for a strategic partner.
The bids comprised airline operators and consulting or advisory entities, under a process designed to identify a partner capable of supporting fleet acquisition, operational readiness, route development and long-term commercial sustainability.
For investors and businesses, the shortlist marks a significant transition from government planning to partner selection.
Ghana has been without a national carrier since Ghana International Airlines ceased operations in 2010, following the earlier collapse of Ghana Airways in 2004. Successive efforts to revive a flag carrier have failed to produce a sustainable operation.
The current model is intended to be different. The government’s Request for Expression of Interest sought a strategic investor or airline partner with the technical, financial and operational capacity to build a commercially viable carrier, rather than another state-led airline dependent on public financing.
The proposed structure gives the strategic partner a majority equity position, while government would initially hold a 10% carried interest. The government has targeted a first-quarter 2027 launch, adding urgency to the selection process.
