Ghana Airways Limited

OST-04-18694 - Exemption - US-Ghana

July 21, 2004

Application for an Exemption

On March 16, 2000, Ghana and the United States entered into an "open skies" aviation bilateral. The bilateral agreement eliminates all restrictions on aviation services between the U.S. and Ghana, effective as of March 31, 2006. Ghana Airways requests an exemption coextensive with the "open skies" traffic rights granted to Ghanaian carriers under the U.S.-Ghana aviation bilateral that will authorize Ghanair to offer services "from points behind Ghana, via Ghana and intermediate points, to a point or points in the United States, and beyond."

Ghanair currently offers the only direct scheduled services between the U.S. and West Africa. Passengers traveling to Accra on Ghanair will find convenient connections to several West African points, including Abidjan, Dakar, Lagos. Banjul. Conakry, Bamako, Ouagadougou, Monrovia and Freetown. Ghanair's direct service to West Africa allows passengers to leave the U.S. and arrive in West Africa without the inconvenience of connections over European points. A grant of the requested exemption authority is critical if current levels of U.S.-Africa aviation services are to be sustained.

Counsel: Zuckert Scoutt, Malcolm Benge, 202-298-8660, mlbenge@zsrlaw.com