Ghanaian start-up carrier Goldstar Air is confident that next year will mark the end of many years of planning and will finally see it launch short-and long-haul operations from Kotaka International Airport in Accra. The airline’s chief executive officer, Eric Bannerman was part of the Ghana delegation at this week’s World Travel Market in London and had a confident attitude that the airline will soon complete its development phase.

With the local regulator in the final stages of its review into the airline’s air service licence applications and operating certificate request, Bannerman suggests that flights could commence as early as the first quarter of 2017, with Baltimore Washington International Airport still its proposed launch destination and will be flown using 767-300 equipment.

Although details still remain sketchy on its precise operational plans, African news reports have suggested that the carrier is also considering flights into China, the Middle East and London, bringing back local connectivity to international markets for the first time since the collapse of Ghana Airways in the mid-2000s. This network will also be supported by feed from within west Africa, flown using leased 737 Classics.

Goldstar Air has already started recruiting ground and air crews ahead of its launch and these are currently in training, albeit it is likely to initially make use of expatriate staff in the launch phase. The airline will bring a spirit of Ghana to the air, according to its chief executive, with Ghanaian flight crew speaking local languages, including ewe, fante, ga, akan and hausa, and serving local food and drinks to customers. “The airline will showcase and promote the rich Ghanaian culture,” he said.