Domestic carrier, Starbow is close to establishing a robust regional network with flights to Lagos and Abuja commencing early next year, James Eric Antwi, the Chief Executive Officer and Accountability Manager of the airline has hinted.
The airline also has approval to venture into the Cotonou, Guinea Bissau and Cote d’Ivoire markets.
“There are plans to do the regional flight. We have these approvals in place. We will have to connect and make sure that we have a binary operation then we can connect these countries. We also wanted to do Liberia but because of the situation at the moment that is why we are reluctant, but maybe later on, sometime maybe next year, we will do it.â€Â, he said.
Starbow currently operates four British Aerospace 146 series aircraft and has the capability to fly regional and handle the demand available. The airline has plans to buy larger and faster aircraft in the near future to handle growing demand, Mr. Antwi said.
With a low propensity to fly index in the ECOWAS sub region, airlines need to tread on eggshells when considering which aircraft to purchase or lease to maximize yield.
Having gained approval to Cotonou, the airline seeks to network Niger, Ouagadougou and its environs using Accra as a viable hub.
“If you only do Cotonou-Accra, you don’t make it because you have to look at the trend, the market and where people are going. We will study the flow to see how possible it is to fly Accra, Monrovia, Freetown and come back to Accra or Accra, Abidjan, Cotonou, Dakar and maybe come back to Accra through the same route†he said, stressing the need for the establishment of a good sub-regional airline network.
On the Tamale export upgrade and expansion project, Starbow believes it will leverage their existing cargo operation by the creation of new industries and enhancement of trade between domestic regions and the ECOWAS state.
“When you build an international airport in tamale, it will create a lot of jobs, companies will go in there and invest in it because they know even manufacturing companies can move in because they can get their stuff into Accra hereâ€Â, he said.
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
Instagram
Google+
YouTube
LinkedIn
RSS