Ghana International Airlines - Dissertation Example

GIA was intended to replace the defunct Ghana Airways Limited, then in liquidation. Initial executives include Ralph Atkin of U.S. carrier SkyWest Airlines and Brian Presbury, former Kenya Airways Chief Executive Officer (CEO). The airlines became the country’s international flag carrier a year after its establishment, with the first daily flights plying the Accra-London route (Dilov-Schultheis, 2007). Prior to its suspension, the airline company employed less than 200 persons and had a fleet of two aeroplanes, a leased Boeing 757 it began within 2005 and subsequently, a Boeing 767.

It flew both passenger and cargo services flights and scheduled multiple weekly flights between Accra and London Gatwick Airport, and subsequently also to Johannesburg, South Africa, and also to Germany’s Dusseldorf Airport. Continental Airlines also linked with GIA to offer connecting flights to airline passengers to several U.S. cities via London Gatwick Airport.

The principal aim of the thesis is to examine the service quality performance of Ghana International Airlines and to determine therefrom the factors relating to the performance that may have contributed to the airline company’s eventual failure.  The research shall rely upon data gathered for five other airlines – three four-star international airlines and two three-star African airlines – as the basis for comparison.

The thesis aims to answer the question:  What service quality factors are determinative of profitable performance in the airline industry?  Specifically, the research shall investigate those quality factors that were determinative of the downfall of Ghana International Airways, as compared to the three successful companies and the two African airline companies.  These airlines were considered ideal for comparison purposes because they both plied the route between London and Accra. 

The study shall source data from GIA’s commencement of operations in 2004 to the company’s suspension in May 2010.  This is the lifespan of Ghana International Airlines’ operations.  Only documents and material available in the public domain comprise the source of data, inasmuch as primary data on GIA are not available since it is no longer in operation, and its former officials are respondents in an ongoing legal investigation.  Reference to B.A., Emirates, Lufthansa, Kenya and Ethiopia are not as in-depth as GIA since their inclusion is only for the purpose of constructing the totality of attributes that would be ideal for an international airline company; stated otherwise, the three four-star airlines are not the subject of critique.