Wholly owned Ghanaian airline Goldstar Air (Wings of Ghana) and Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA), which operates ten airports, eight heliports, and one water aerodrome, have agreed on incentive packages for the Toronto-Accra route.
These aviation facilities are situated within and around Toronto and its neighboring cities, serving airline passengers, regional air travel, and commercial cargo transportation.
Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ), located mainly in Mississauga, is the busiest airport in Canada and hosts international travel with various airlines. Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport (YTZ) on the Toronto Islands is a regional airport, providing regular services
to United States destinations. John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport (YHM) in Hamilton is a base for low-cost carriers that fly domestic and transatlantic routes.
Pearson, Bishop, and Hamilton combined to place Toronto twenty-third (23rd) on the World’s Best Cities list for 2024, inching one spot higher than where it ranked last year.
Special appreciation from the Chief Executive Officer Eric Bannerman and the management of Goldstar Air to the highest office of the Greater Toronto Airports Authority, the Chief Executive Officer, the Board of Directors, and the entire Air Service Development team for your ambitious sustainability policies and first-of-its kind incentive packages from your authority to our airline.
The Greater Toronto Airports Authority unleashes incentive packages to provide Goldstar Air with marketing funds to support awareness campaigns for the airline, which will be adding new capacity to Toronto.
These include print media, digital/social media, terminal
advertising, travel/trade, and inaugural event activities, among other promotional activities, and will work closely with national, provincial, and city tourism organizations to promote these new Air Services in Toronto and it will be part of our 24-hour service from Kumasi and Kotoka International Airport terminal Two, as well as our One Hundred Thousand direct and indirect jobs initiative.
The new direct service will help boost investment, tourism, diplomatic, socioeconomic bonds, and economic tools for the two countries and will be connecting other Africa and North America cities.
Goldstar Air is looking forward to satisfying the demands of our passengers, since they will want to go to their final destinations in an easy, concise, and well-structured way, not having to arrive at complicated airports, pick up suitcases, check in again, miss the flight, and all those other things that happen.
Providing connectivity is fundamental to helping improve the customer experience when flying with us around the world; therefore, Goldstar Air is collaborating with other airlines to launch an airline alliance called Afrik Allianz to expand routes, share resources, and establish a seamless travel experience for international passengers who will get access to multiple destinations and more convenient airway connections.
In 2019, Toronto Pearson welcomed 50.5 million annual passengers, which represented one-third of Canada’s air passenger volume.
Toronto Pearson grew by approximately 20
million passengers between 2009 and 2019 while integrating several international carriers and offering direct service to 180 destinations worldwide. 2022 saw Toronto Pearson return to approximately 70% of 2019 volumes, with that number being closer to 90% over the last few months.
In 2022, Toronto Pearson welcomed seven new airlines
and launched over 30 new routes. Nearly all commercial airline partners serving Toronto Pearson in 2019 have returned, with many increasing their presence. This emphasizes the importance of the Toronto and Canadian markets to our airline and the role they will play in our success.
Toronto is one of the most diverse regions in the world, with over 50% of the population identifying as being foreign-born. It is also the fourth-largest city in North America.
The Toronto region is home to 6.5 million people, and the population is projected to grow by 10% by 2032. Toronto is also the largest contributor to the Canadian economy, home to 38% of Canada’s business headquarters, 20% of Canada’s GDP, and 50% of Ontario’s GDP.
It is the 2nd largest financial center in North America, the largest technology hub in Canada, and the 3rd largest in North America. 25% of Canada’s population is within 160
km of Toronto, and it is home to a large Ghanaian diaspora.
With direct flights to only Cairo and Addis Ababa in Africa, Western Africa is completely unserved from Toronto. Africa is a region that has been identified as being severely underserved and one where the Goldstar Air and Greater Toronto Airports Authority believe significant opportunity for growth exists, as Toronto represents 62% of the total Canadian market.
In 2022, Toronto ranked as the third-largest market for travel to and from Accra in North America, following New York and Washington.
This positioning renders Toronto Pearson
International Airport as the most substantial untapped market on the continent. Accra is a year-round market from Toronto with a seasonal profile that is similar to what is experienced in served markets in New York and Washington.
The Toronto Pearson International Airport market reacts quickly when new services are launched, and while stimulation can vary depending on the market, Accra is a strong candidate for significant stimulation, as Toronto is home to a strong West African diaspora.
Goldstar Air will initially be flying from Kumasi International Airport to six destinations,
namely London, Rome, Hamburg, Madrid, Dusseldorf, and Milan, and thirteen destinations from Accra (Kotoka International Airport), namely Toronto, Washington,
Lagos, London, Monrovia, Abidjan, Freetown, Dubai, Guangzhou, Rhode Island, Dakar, Banjul, Conakry, and pending cities such as Miami-Florida, Atlanta-Georgia, ChicagoIllinois, Glasgow-Scotland, Houston, Texas, and many more.
West Africa, despite its forty-plus airports and over three hundred million people in fifteen countries, lacks a strong airline and has no airport hub; therefore, Goldstar Air wants to be a strong carrier initially in West Africa and later in the whole of Africa.
In the United States of America, we have been offered two years of free landing, parking, advertising, and office space by Mr. Pimental, Assistant Vice President of Air Service Development at Providence International Airport, and Mr. Stock, Director of Air Service Department and Strategic Analysis at Baltimore Washington International Airport.
In Scotland, which will be our future destination, we have been offered one year of free landing, parking, and office space by Mr. Paul White, Business Development Manager,
and Mr. Robert Love, Aero Commercial Analyst at Glasgow International Airport.
