Ghana and Boeing company Tuesday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at the Dubai Air Show for three airplanes with a list price value of $877.5 million according to list prices.

The move is to help the country fast-track the establishment of the home-based carrier.

The Minister of Aviation Joseph Kofi Adda said, "There is a growing demand for air travel to and from Ghana and we believe the advanced 787-9 Dreamliner gives us an efficient and flexible machine to launch a regional network and eventually serve international destinations in the future."

He said, "The 787 has an excellent reputation for its operational performance, fuel efficiency and passenger experience and we are confident that we have the right partner for our new carrier."

Mr Adda said the carrier, to be based in Accra, would establish the capital city as a strategic hub that serves cities across West Africa. Future routes would include destinations in Europe, North America and Asia and the long-term plan is to open the airline to private investment and operation.

Senior Vice President of Commercial Sales & Marketing for The Boeing Company Ihssane Mounir said, "Africa boasts a growing, young workforce and vast natural resources. We see the demand for air travel continuing to rise across the continent. Boeing is honored to work with Ghana in helping re-launch an airline to serve this vast market.”

He added, "We look forward to working with the government on an integrated solution that includes the 787-9 Dreamliner and aviation services to support the new airline and provide a superior experience for its future passengers."

The 787-9 is part of a family of three airplanes that offer long ranges and unmatched fuel efficiency in the 200 to 350 seat market. The 787-9 can carry 296 passengers and fly up to 7,530 nautical miles (13,950 kms), while reducing fuel use and emissions by 20 to 25 percent compared to older airplanes.

Since entering service in 2011, the 787 family has enabled the opening of more than 250 new point-to-point routes and saved 45 billion pounds of fuel.

Every day, there are more than 1,600 commercial flights on a 787 Dreamliner. This means that somewhere in the world a 787 Dreamliner takes off every minute. To date, more than 400 million passengers have flown on the airplane.