Following the passing of industry pioneer Marwan Traboulsi on 30 September, 2025, the aviation sector has turned its eyes toward his successor, Karim Traboulsi.
As Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Air Ghana and Managing Director of the Ghana Airport Cargo Centre (GACC), Karim now shoulders a dual responsibility: preserving a 30-year legacy of logistics excellence and steering the airline into a bold new era of domestic connectivity.
We sat down with him to discuss heritage, the weight of leadership, and the ‘whispers’ of an entry into passenger skies.
Q: First, allow us to extend our condolences on the passing of your father, Marwan Traboulsi. He was a titan across sectors, but his footprint in the aviation industry is worth noting especially. How does Air Ghana define ‘heritage’ in the shadow of such a loss?
Karim Traboulsi: Thank you. My father’s passing is a profound loss, not just for the family but for the ecosystem he helped build. But heritage, for us, isn’t just about looking back, it’s about understanding the why behind the business.
My father didn’t start an airline simply because he loved planes; he started it because he loved Ghana’s potential. He saw mangoes and pineapples rotting because there weren’t reliable logistics, so he built the solution.
The journey from envisioning a future for our fruit exports through FARMEX, to pioneering cargo solutions at Air Ghana was driven by both necessity and vision. Today, ‘heritage’ means preserving that problem-solving DNA.
We are 30 years deep in aviation expertise, but our core mandate remains the same: we exist to connect Ghana to the world, and more than ever, to connect Ghana to itself.
Q: You are stepping fully into the role of the standard-bearer during a time of transition. How do you view this ‘passing of the baton’?
Karim Traboulsi: It is a responsibility I do not take lightly. Marwan was a visionary with boundless energy; he built the runway we are taking off from today. Stepping up is not about replacing him -that would be impossible -but about bravely evolving the mission.
This transitory period is one that takes us from a founder-led era to an institution-led era. My role across Air Ghana and GACC is to institutionalise the values he instilled, particularly reliability and safety.
The industry knows us for cargo and ground handling; the ‘heavy lifting’ behind the scenes. The next phase of our shared stewardship is about bringing that same operational discipline into the public eye.
Q: Speaking of the ‘heavy lifting’, there is significant buzz regarding incoming freight aircraft and the expansion of your cargo capabilities. What does this mean for Ghana’s trade economy?
Karim Traboulsi: The expansion of our freighter fleet is a direct response to market demand. Ghana is positioning itself as the logistics hub of West Africa, and you cannot have a hub without spokes. The Ghana Airport Cargo Centre (GACC) is state-of-the-art, but infrastructure needs wings to be effective.
These new aircraft are partners in productivity for Ghanaian businesses; from the SME trader bringing in electronics to the large agricultural exporter sending perishables to Europe.
By controlling our own lift capacity, we reduce reliance on external carriers and give Ghanaian businesses certainty. If we want to compete globally, our supply chain must be as reliable as our ambition.
Q: There have also been whispers in the industry, and some anticipation among travelers, that a new player is preparing to enter the domestic passenger market. Can we expect an announcement from Air Ghana soon?
Karim Traboulsi: All of us at Air Ghana share a common vision; that the trust we’ve earned in the cargo hold can and should be brought into the cabin. I can confirm that Air Ghana is preparing to open the skies to domestic travel in a way that hasn’t been done before. We looked at the market and saw a gap.
Travelers, whether they are business executives dashing to Kumasi or families rediscovering the North, are craving consistency. They want an airline that treats a 45-minute flight with the same professionalism as an international long-haul.
We are building this service on what we call our CRANE values: Care, Reliability, Affordability, National pride, and Excellence in safety. These are values that have defined our cargo operations and that embody the promise of what is to come through our domestic ambitions. We aren’t just launching flights; we want to be the partner that makes home feel a little closer.
Q: The domestic market can be volatile. What will make Air Ghana’s approach different?
Karim Traboulsi: The volatility is real, and it’s measurable. Ghana’s domestic air market serves a relatively small but essential passenger base; roughly a few hundred thousand passengers annually; concentrated primarily on the Accra–Kumasi–Takoradi–Tamale corridors.
Demand spikes sharply around business travel cycles and public holidays, while thin margins, high operating costs, and limited fleet redundancy have historically made reliability a challenge across the sector.
What will differentiate our approach is that we are not pretending these constraints don’t exist. Passengers feel them every day: last-minute cancellations, limited communication during delays, and an understandable frustration when the experience doesn’t justify the fare. Trust breaks down quickly in an environment like that.
The advantage we bring is experience. Air Ghana is not learning aviation from scratch; we bring over 30 years of operating discipline in safety-critical, time-sensitive logistics. That matters in a market where a single aircraft ‘going tech’ can disrupt an entire day’s schedule. We understand maintenance planning, regulatory compliance, and schedule resilience, and we’ve built our operations with those realities in mind from day one.
Domestic air travel in Ghana should not feel like a gamble. For many routes, flying is not a luxury, it’s a productivity tool that replaces 6–10 hours of road travel. Our focus is therefore simple and deliberate: consistency, clear communication, and respect for passengers’ time. If there is a delay, people should know why. If a flight is scheduled, it should operate as planned.
Let me end with this; we are applying a logistics mindset to passenger aviation, one that values predictability as much as speed. By bringing that level of operational rigor into the cabin experience, our aim is to set a new benchmark for what domestic flying in Ghana can and should feel like: dependable, transparent, and genuinely worth the price of the ticket.
Q: With the anticipation building, the industry, and the public, is keen on timelines. When can we expect the new freight aircraft to arrive, and when will domestic bookings open?
Karim Traboulsi: We are moving with deliberate speed, but we are prioritising readiness over rushing. We are currently finalising the operational details to ensure that when we launch, we execute flawlessly. While I cannot give a specific calendar date today, I can confirm that the first quarter of this year will be significant. We expect to make firm announcements regarding both the freighter arrival and the rollout of our domestic schedule within Q1. We are close, and we are excited.
Q: The name ‘Air Ghana’ sounds quite close to the erstwhile ‘Ghana Airways’. Is this a deliberate resurrection?
Karim Traboulsi: (Smiles) It’s an easy mix-up, given the similarity in names and the deep nostalgia many hold for the erstwhile national carrier. But it’s important to clarify that Air Ghana is not a new entity; we have a distinct, thirty-year pedigree in this sector. We have been operating efficiently and effectively alongside the country’s growth for decades.
That said, we deeply respect the brand value and longevity Ghana Airways achieved. For decades, they were the standard-bearer for our nation. While we are a separate company with our own history, emulating that capacity to represent Ghana, both at home and abroad, is something we aspire to. We want to revive that sense of national pride, but we are building it on our own history of operational excellence.
Q: Looking forward, what is the ultimate vision for Air Ghana under your leadership?
Karim Traboulsi: Our vision is to be Ghana’s most trusted airline. We want to be the strategic partner in the country’s transport and tourism agenda. Whether it’s a crate of yams going to London or a family going to Kumasi for a wedding, the Air Ghana stamp should mean ‘Safe, On-Time, and Care-Driven’. My father proved that Ghana could feed the world. We intend to prove that Ghana can fly the world, starting right here at home.
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