Domestic airlines would by the end of the year be able to make direct flights to the USA, the Director-General of the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) has revealed.

Simon Allotey says the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in collaboration with the GCAA is currently undertaking the safety assessment known as the FAA category 1 programme on domestic airlines.

This is to ensure that the domestic airlines meet the required standards of the FAA.

“By the end of the year, we should have gone through the safety assessment by the FAA which would enable Ghana register carriers like Africa World Airline and Starbow if they so wish to fly directly to the USA with a Ghana registered aircraft and crew," he said.

Mr Allotey also indicated that airlines such as AirFrancee that once halted it activities in Ghana would recommence operations as traffic rights to other countries are also being reviewed towards growing the local aviation industry.

“We’ve already engaged several countries like Japan and Oman and we are reviewing old rights with countries like India and France so Air France could recommence its operations this month.

"Twenty years ago, the air service rights were very restrictive and we were restricted as to the number of times we could fly to certain countries but now we have lifted all those restrictions and everything will be finalised by the end of this year,” he noted.