Africa World Airlines
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: In the sky/under a jetway
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KofiB 'probationary' Pprune-r - just about sums you up!
Why is it you feel the need to rip into AWA & twist the facts?
Don't you want to see the industry grow & flourish in Ghana? Are you a Ghanaian? Maybe not as you obviously don't read the local news to sort the wheat from the chaff
Please don't tell us that you're in any position of decision making!
Maybe you could post something a little more factual next time! As another member of the industry, I hope I never come across you!
Why is it you feel the need to rip into AWA & twist the facts?
Don't you want to see the industry grow & flourish in Ghana? Are you a Ghanaian? Maybe not as you obviously don't read the local news to sort the wheat from the chaff
Please don't tell us that you're in any position of decision making!
Maybe you could post something a little more factual next time! As another member of the industry, I hope I never come across you!
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: London
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Has anybody heard any news from this airline? have they managed to expand their fleet and extend their services to other destinations beyond domestic ghana? Any news on recruitment for Ghanaian pilots?
Why have these guys gone silent? Agreed, even their website is poor!
Why have these guys gone silent? Agreed, even their website is poor!
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: London
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i hear this airline has been struggling to sell tickets and sometimes they fly with as little as 6 passngers onboard due to the perception that their aircraft is ''too small''. is this true?
has anybody heard if/when they plan on purchasing more erj145's or A319's
has anybody heard if/when they plan on purchasing more erj145's or A319's
Join Date: Sep 2012
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I wouldn't hold my breath on anyone from AWA coming onto this thread to participate soon. Many of the original start-up team that used this forum and others to engage have since resigned or moved on from the airline. Perhaps the new Chinese managers have different priorities regarding the need to communicate.
Join Date: Sep 2012
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Who has resigned? And why? Is this airline about to close down? It only started ops 5 months ago.
I don't think there is an immediate danger of a shutdown - the company is incredibly well financed. However, operating 2 ERJ-145s with utility less than 1 hour/day each will wind up burning cash far more quickly than the business plan forecast. Besides, what is being executed right now is not the business plan that we developed and against which the funds were raised anyway.
Join Date: Jul 2011
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whats going on
Sean M with your prev xperience what in your opinion is the problem with AWA. We and i belive others share the view of the great expectations we have for this start up especialy given the local environment it would operate in.
Join Date: Sep 2012
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Sean M with your prev xperience what in your opinion is the problem with AWA. We and i belive others share the view of the great expectations we have for this start up especialy given the local environment it would operate in.
I will however say that the Chinese shareholders and their appointed Chinese management team have chosen to pursue a very different business model than was conceived by our team and that was the basis for all the decisions made during start-up. This is unfortunate, because they were also part of the decision making process and had a very large say in the start-up process. If I were presented with what appears to be their current business model today (they have not coherently outlined one either publicly or internally to the best of my knowledge) and asked to lead the start-up project again, I would probably decline as I have significant doubts as to its long-term viability.
I voiced my concerns about this to all the shareholders, both Ghanaian and Chinese, when I was exiting the organisation last year. I am not the only one who has done so. Nonetheless, it is their airline to run and their money to spend, so all I can do is provide counsel when asked. Only time will be the judge about whether they have acted wisely.
Join Date: Sep 2008
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Well word on the ground here is that there are supposed to be 12 aircraft within the first year of operations. But as it stands there are only 2 aircraft flying approximately 3hrs each day....
We are now in month 6 since Awa began and I don't know which business plan is in effect but things seem to be progressing at a snails pace!
what is keeping them from expanding into other West African markets? Doesn't the AOC allow that. Or are there "BASA or freedom rights" that need to be obtained first. Can someone educate me on the subject.
We are now in month 6 since Awa began and I don't know which business plan is in effect but things seem to be progressing at a snails pace!
what is keeping them from expanding into other West African markets? Doesn't the AOC allow that. Or are there "BASA or freedom rights" that need to be obtained first. Can someone educate me on the subject.
Join Date: Sep 2012
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But as it stands there are only 2 aircraft flying approximately 3hrs each day....
I don't know which business plan is in effect but things seem to be progressing at a snails pace!
what is keeping them from expanding into other West African markets?
Join Date: Sep 2008
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Word on the street is that Africa World is planning to order e-jets, (erj175, erj190) to support regional operations... earlier in the year, speculation was that Airbus 319's would be favoured over ejets but it seems management might have changed their minds as they move to launch lagos and abuja next month.
Ejets to be leased from Tianjin airlines.
Ejets to be leased from Tianjin airlines.
Join Date: Sep 2012
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Management has changed significantly since April. Most of the initial Chinese managers who didn't know which side of the plane pointed up have been cycled out and a slightly more competent brand of manager brought in as replacements.
I still believe that AWA will eventually be one of the survivors of the airline wars in Ghana, if only by default from everyone else's self destruction.
I still believe that AWA will eventually be one of the survivors of the airline wars in Ghana, if only by default from everyone else's self destruction.
Join Date: Sep 2008
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Why is everyone giving this guy such a hard time??? Are you bitter cadet pilots who weren't hired? I've been watching this forum for over a year and have to finally chime in. Lots of people had suggestions and back seat drivers loved to put in their $.02. He got an airline started, he probably got blocked by upper "management" from doing what needed to be done, the local CAA and politics probably did their fair share of costing $$$ and time. Now, it's a local and Chinese show. They'll bugger it up eventually, but whoever this Sean Mendis is, he got it going in a challenging and hostile environment. Well done!
Join Date: Sep 2012
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whoever this Sean Mendis is, he got it going in a challenging and hostile environment. Well done!
Join Date: Sep 2008
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4runner, making a mountain out of a molehill. Nobody is giving Sean a hard time.
I personally appreciate Sean mendis for being open in sharing the vision of the airline with aviation enthusiasts like us. That created a 'buzz' in the industry and people were paying attention.... since then, although the airline is still doing well, and has very strong financing behind it, the 'buzz' has sort of died down and there is zero communication from the Chinese management.
I would like to know Sean's opinion on the Ghanaian aviation scene in general. What do u think of the likes of starbow, and Eagle Atlantic with their old md-82! What's the delay in Fastjet doing the rebrand of fly540 Ghana? Also pison airways who plans on taking delivery of a 737 and a 757 soon... who do you see surviving in the long run?
I personally appreciate Sean mendis for being open in sharing the vision of the airline with aviation enthusiasts like us. That created a 'buzz' in the industry and people were paying attention.... since then, although the airline is still doing well, and has very strong financing behind it, the 'buzz' has sort of died down and there is zero communication from the Chinese management.
I would like to know Sean's opinion on the Ghanaian aviation scene in general. What do u think of the likes of starbow, and Eagle Atlantic with their old md-82! What's the delay in Fastjet doing the rebrand of fly540 Ghana? Also pison airways who plans on taking delivery of a 737 and a 757 soon... who do you see surviving in the long run?
Join Date: May 2004
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Overview
Just back from Accra, little change.
AWA had one a/c AOG with some serious issues following a bird strike.
Fly540 continuing with a single aircraft, amtrak still operating the entire fleet of wet leased ATR72s but potentially in trouble with EASA for the length of stay.
Starbow seem to be getting their act together, most of the expat team having reached end of their contracts and moved on.
Pison so far are a no show, perhaps due to GCAA conditions.
VS pulled off the LHR route citing crazy fuel prices at Kotoka.
Supposed bi-lateral arrangements on the vital and lucrative Accra-Lagos route are for Nigerian operators, due to "administrative issues" in Lagos. Read into that what you will, so far the GCAA has not pulled the plug on this completely one sided arrangement for reasons unknown !!!!
Until the corruption stops and a level playing field is established, Accra based operators are working with both hands tied behind their backs.
The new starts making headway in the region are from bases in the region who have regulators who want to help them succeed with tax and duty breaks. Accra is not one of those. Poor fuel supply logistics and reliability result in flight cancellations for all operations often at zero notice, and of an indeterminate duration also cause massive commercial problems.
Rather than being a regional hub, the initiative appears to have been lost due the above and the removal of the ability smaller operators to self handle domestic flights at Kotoka will ultimately kill the business models of the airlines based there, in short the operational and commercial advantage will land in the hands of neighbouring states who will use their advantages to full effect. Game over.
Business as usual:-)
AWA had one a/c AOG with some serious issues following a bird strike.
Fly540 continuing with a single aircraft, amtrak still operating the entire fleet of wet leased ATR72s but potentially in trouble with EASA for the length of stay.
Starbow seem to be getting their act together, most of the expat team having reached end of their contracts and moved on.
Pison so far are a no show, perhaps due to GCAA conditions.
VS pulled off the LHR route citing crazy fuel prices at Kotoka.
Supposed bi-lateral arrangements on the vital and lucrative Accra-Lagos route are for Nigerian operators, due to "administrative issues" in Lagos. Read into that what you will, so far the GCAA has not pulled the plug on this completely one sided arrangement for reasons unknown !!!!
Until the corruption stops and a level playing field is established, Accra based operators are working with both hands tied behind their backs.
The new starts making headway in the region are from bases in the region who have regulators who want to help them succeed with tax and duty breaks. Accra is not one of those. Poor fuel supply logistics and reliability result in flight cancellations for all operations often at zero notice, and of an indeterminate duration also cause massive commercial problems.
Rather than being a regional hub, the initiative appears to have been lost due the above and the removal of the ability smaller operators to self handle domestic flights at Kotoka will ultimately kill the business models of the airlines based there, in short the operational and commercial advantage will land in the hands of neighbouring states who will use their advantages to full effect. Game over.
Business as usual:-)
Last edited by Teddy Robinson; 11th Dec 2013 at 23:37. Reason: Typos
Join Date: Sep 2012
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Until the corruption stops and a level playing field is established, Accra based operators are working with both hands tied behind their backs.
AWA has somewhat got its act together now (and a decent new Chinese CEO too), but the regulatory environment at present isn't really conducive to growing and thriving. The financial bleeding has slowed significantly, but the capital will not last forever.
AWA had one a/c AOG with some serious issues following a bird strike.
Join Date: Jun 2006
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Self Handling
the removal of the ability smaller operators to self handle domestic flights at Kotoka will ultimately kill the business models of the airlines based there