The Minister for Transport, Joseph Bukari Nikpe, has disclosed that the government does not intend to hold a controlling stake in the proposed re-establishment of a national airline, insisting the venture will largely be driven by the private sector.

Speaking before Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC), the Minister explained that Air Ghana currently operates as a privately owned cargo transport company and is not a state-owned entity.

According to him, the company is presently focused on cargo operations but could eventually expand into passenger services.

“Government is happy working with them to support cargo transport services, but it is a private entity, not that of the government,” he clarified.

Mr Nikpe said lessons from previous attempts to establish a national airline have informed the government’s current approach to the project.

He noted that the government intends to maintain only a minority shareholding while allowing the private sector to lead the operations and management of the airline.

“We do not intend to have a shareholding that will be detrimental to the services of the airline we intend to re-establish,” he said.

The Minister also stressed the need for greater efficiency within the aviation sector, arguing that flight delays and operational bottlenecks inconvenience passengers and undermine public confidence in air travel.

He assured the Committee that the government would continue engaging stakeholders to improve service delivery across the aviation industry.