This is the picture that has got many Ghanaians talking

A picture of a busy street in London, the capital of the United Kingdom, has been trending on Ghanaian social media platforms.

The photo, identified as a busy road on a rainy day in Piccadilly in 1964, shows cars, including taxis, and one of the iconic double-decker buses on the road, with pedestrians making their way on the pavement.

However, what has caught the attention of many Ghanaians is the red double-decker bus, and the advertisement board on it.

A white text, boldly written on a black background, simply said; ”Fly Ghana Airways.”

The inscription was followed by a picture of the tail end of a plane fitted with the Ghana flag on it.

The picture has left many netizens talking, with some reminiscing on the “glory days” of the country, when state-owned companies existed and helped push the name of Ghana forward.

What happened to Ghana Airways?

Ghana Airways, founded on July 4, 1958, emerged as Ghana’s proud national carrier and a symbol of its newfound independence.

It started operations as a partnership with the British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC), where Ghana held a 60% stake and British crews managed operations under a seven-year agreement.

It quickly expanded into the jet era, introducing Boeing 707 and VC10 aircraft alongside Soviet-era Il‑18s, Herons, and Antonov‑12s.

The Golden Era

Throughout the 1960s and beyond, Ghana Airways steadily broadened its international reach, adding destinations such as London, Rome, New York, and Johannesburg to its route map.

By the 1990s, its fleet included modern jets such as DC‑9s, MD‑11s, A‑320s, and A‑330s, reflecting Ghana’s ambition to compete on the global aviation stage.

Crisis and Collapse

However, the early 2000s brought mounting financial troubles. By 2002, the airline was burdened with approximately US$160 million in debt.

That year, one of its DC‑10s was seized at London Heathrow over roughly £4 million in unpaid bills, an action that highlighted the carrier’s dire financial straits.

Efforts to stabilise the airline failed, and in July 2004, the US Department of Transportation banned Ghana Airways from operating flights to the US, citing safety violations and outdated operating licenses.

This had an immediate impact, forcing cancellations on the Accra–New York and Baltimore routes. The Ghanaian government dismissed the airline’s board and took full control, but that intervention came too late.

Operations formally ceased in June 2005, as the airline entered liquidation proceedings.

A sad aftermath

Following its collapse, the government established Ghana International Airlines in late 2005, which was launched officially on October 29, marking a brief attempt at revival. However, that airline also folded, ceasing operations on May 13, 2010.

The last relic of the collapsed airline was the DC‑10 aircraft, repurposed in 2013 as the “La Tante DC‑10 Restaurant” at Kotoka Airport — a testament to nostalgia and creativity.

The plane, however, was dismantled and scrapped in 2023.

See the full-size photo below:

ID/AE

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