The Acting Deputy Director of the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), Mr. Willie Orhin, has said that Antrack and City Link airlines have been given licenses to operate the West African sub-region.

Mr. Orhin, on Friday, revealed this to the Business Chronicle after the opening of the West African office of The Emirate airline in Accra.

He said the licenses were given to them last year, therefore they could start plying the West African Route.

Local airlines, especially Antrack, have, over the years, applied for licenses to ply West Africa with little success although they were qualified.

It would be recalled that The Chronicle reported a last minute cancellation of Antrak Air's regional routes and a limitation imposed by the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority on the budding airline to operate only domestic routes despite being licensed for domestic and regional flights last year.

Whereas the Minister of Road and Transport questioned the power of the Air Transport and Licensing Authority (ATLA) to issue a commercial air carrier's license to Antrak Air to operate domestic and regional flights, Alhaji Banda, the owner of Antrack questioned the logic of sabotaging his over $5 million investment, based on either the ignorance or incompetence of senior staff of the Ministry of Road and Transport.

He said many airlines had approached the authority for licenses to operate regional and international routes and they were working on them.

On the upsurge of airlines in the country, the deputy director said the demise of Ghana Airways was to be blamed.

He added that the absence of Ghana Airways has as well resulted in the increase in chartered flights to Ghana, especially from London.