SOME former staff of the defunct Ghana Airways (GA) have appealed to government to restore the airline after its successor - Ghana International Airline (GIA) woefully failed to justify its establishment.

Led by Roland Mosore, a former chairman of the senior staff association, the former workers numbering over 100, yesterday met media personnel in Accra to present a number of concerns.

They appealed to government to investigate how much was involved in the liquidation of the defunct company.

Also they wanted to know how PricewaterhouseCoopers, consultant to the exercise, was contracted and who bought the company's assets and for how much these were sold.

Again, they asked government why the Ghana Airport Handling Company (GAHCO) was sold to foreigners.

According to them, certain people at the Ministry of Aviation who are still at post ought to be questioned for engineering the liquidation of Ghana Airways.

They said T.A.Selby, a chief director at the Ministry of Transport was still at post and "steering the affairs of the ministry and advising the current minister. "

They accused the former Acting Registrar-General, J.K.Harlley of presiding over the liquidation of Ghana Airways.

"This means our questions should and can be answered for Ghanaians to know.

"Government's developmental agenda will be enhanced with the formation of a new Ghana Airways. There are hidden vampires in the administration of the aviation industry in the transport industry.

Government will do well if we, representatives of the workers, take part in the decisions, directions and formulations of any policy or formation of a national carrier. "

Stating that the liquidation of Ghana Airways was uncalled for, the aggrieved workers said the termination of their appointments was unconstitutional.

"We would like Government to investigate for example the collection of KLM royalties to Ghana Airways in the sum of $2 million from 2005 to 2008.

Within this period, Ghana Airways was not operating, so who received the royalties, which account was it paid and who were the signatories? " they asked.

They claimed that Ghana Airways had three serviceable DC 10 aircraft for long haul flights, two DC 9 aircraft for West Coast flights, a number of aircraft parts, assorted vehicles, residential buildings and offices both in Ghana and abroad.

As at 2003, Ghana Airways had six slots (Accra-London-Accra routes) with a value of $1.7 million amounting to $10.2 million per year. From January to December 2005, KLM paid to Ghana Airways some $2,166,769 million as royalties in addition to $1 million royalties by LH annually and a code-sharing contract with South Africa Airways for some 168 seats per flight which yielded huge income.

The airline's subsidiary, Ghana Airways Catering Limited, which made huge profits by selling food to foreign airlines and GAHCO and generated $750,000 in monthly revenues, was also sold under strange circumstances, they maintained.

In the case of the latter, the workers said it was sold to AHS, which is now MENSIES AHS for $3.5 million.

"Information we had on this was that the buyers paid only $500,000 as part payment spreading the remainder over a period. "

"Ghana Airways had 1,375 staff, including pilots, engineers and other experienced and competent staff. We therefore believe government should do something about its re-establishment.

"It is a disgrace to learn that Burundi, Togo, Zimbabwe, Sudan, Cote d'Ivoire, among others have national carriers while Ghana's airline has sunk into oblivion. "

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