Africa World Airlines Limited (AWA) is a privately owned regional airline of the Republic of Ghana, founded in 2010 and headquartered in Accra. It was set up by Ghanaian investors together with international strategic shareholders and serves the Ghanaian domestic market and regional West African international routes. AWA's IATA two-letter code is AW, its ICAO three-letter code is AFW, and its official website is flyafricaworld.com.
AWA runs a hub-and-spoke network centered on Accra Kotoka International Airport (ACC). In Ghana it operates three trunk routes, Accra to Kumasi, Takoradi and Tamale; in West Africa it flies international routes from Accra to Lagos and Abuja in Nigeria, Abidjan in Côte d'Ivoire and Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso. According to the air carrier licence information published by the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority, AWA holds both passenger and cargo operating authority.
Ghana sits on the northern shore of the Gulf of Guinea in West Africa, and Accra has long been the region's air hub for connections to Europe, North America and the African interior. Since its founding AWA has gradually taken on a public-service role in Ghanaian domestic aviation, closing a long-standing gap in domestic capacity that made it hard to move passengers and cargo quickly between cities. The fleet is built around Embraer ERJ-145 regional jets, a type that holds up well in tropical African conditions, is economical to maintain and suits the short sectors typical of West Africa.
From 2026 AWA began taking delivery of E190 jets and plans to grow the fleet to ten aircraft. The E190 adds capacity per departure on regional routes and gives the belly hold more volume, so AWA can take on more transit cargo arriving from long-haul international sectors. The Ghanaian government positions Accra as a West African aviation hub and supports AWA's fleet growth and route expansion through policy.
AWA does not fly intercontinental routes between China and West Africa itself. Its value is as the last-leg distributor inside West Africa. Chinese export cargo can first reach Accra on long-haul carriers through hubs such as Brussels, Paris or Dubai, and then move on AWA's domestic and regional belly network to cities in the Ghanaian interior and to neighbouring countries. AWA holds interline agreements with international carriers including Brussels Airlines, Emirates, South African Airways, Ethiopian Airlines, ASKY Airlines and United Airlines, so international transit cargo can enter the regional network after a single connection in Accra.
The practical effect for Chinese shippers is that one contract with a single long-haul carrier covers the China leg, the cargo connects automatically to an AWA regional flight in Accra, and the consignee can collect in Kumasi, Takoradi, Lagos or Abidjan without re-issuing documents or tendering the shipment a second time in Accra. For exporters with fragmented volumes and final destinations in second-tier West African cities, this removes a great deal of logistics coordination.
AWA has no publicly listed office in China. Contact its local Chinese general sales agent, or ask us to make the connection. AWA's cargo business serves mainly small express shipments inside Ghana and high-value regional freight. Cargo originating in China is not handed to AWA at origin: a long-haul carrier brings it to Accra and AWA's ground agent takes over for collection and distribution.
Goodhope Logistics (China) Limited can handle booking, customs declaration, consolidation and document preparation at the China origin, and work with the long-haul carrier and the Accra ground agent to move the cargo to AWA-served West African cities on a through air waybill. Shippers holding a specific destination together with piece, weight and dimension details can send us the booking request and we work out the routing and the full cost.
Shippers who want AWA's cargo products and handling rules directly can find rates and procedures for the domestic express product at flyafricaworld.com. For capacity confirmation, overweight surcharges and waybill issuance on international through shipments, it is better to have us act as the agent window and file on your behalf, which avoids booking delays caused by differences in Chinese and English document formats.
The active fleet consists mainly of Embraer regional jets. As of public reports the airline operates seven ERJ-145 series regional aircraft and took delivery of its first E190 in September 2026, with further E190s to follow. Cargo configuration by type is shown in the table.
| Aircraft type | Cargo mode | Main use |
|---|---|---|
| ERJ-145 | Belly capacity only, several tonnes per departure | Main type on the domestic Accra-Kumasi, Accra-Takoradi and Accra-Tamale routes |
| Embraer E190 | Belly capacity only, with clearly higher payload and hold volume | Regional West African routes such as Accra-Lagos, Accra-Abidjan and Accra-Ouagadougou |
The ERJ-145 is a 50-seat regional aircraft with limited belly space; it carries documents, express shipments, trade samples and small high-value pieces. The E190 is a 90 to 100-seat regional jet whose hold volume and maximum payload are roughly double those of the ERJ-145, so it can take more loose cargo and standard ULDs. Fleet numbers and configuration follow the expansion plan and are subject to carrier confirmation on the day of booking.
In cargo terms an ERJ-145 usually offers a few hundred kilograms to about one tonne of belly payload per departure, which suits small high-value shipments; an E190 can lift several tonnes in the belly per departure and accepts standard LD3 containers and some palletised cargo from long-haul sectors. As the E190 fleet grows, AWA's belly capacity on regional trunk routes such as Accra-Lagos and Accra-Abidjan will increase, giving Chinese exports to second-tier West African cities more room.
As a regional West African carrier AWA has no published scheduled service inside China. Chinese shippers use the network by having a long-haul carrier fly the cargo from a major Chinese hub to Accra, where AWA takes over for distribution. The table lists the departure airports in China commonly used to connect into the AWA network and how the connection works.
| China cities | Airport code | Connecting carriers | Schedule and remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guangzhou | CAN | Via Brussels or Dubai to Accra | Several connections a week, belly capacity, times local |
| Shanghai | PVG | Via Brussels, Paris or Dubai to Accra | Several connections daily, subject to the carrier's schedule |
| Beijing | PEK / PKX | Via a European hub to Accra | Several connections a week, operated on a weekly schedule |
| Hong Kong | HKG | Via a Middle East hub to Accra | Suited to consolidation and dispatch for South China and cross-border e-commerce shippers |
All times above are local. Schedules change with the season and the carrier's confirmation on the day of booking governs. AWA's domestic and regional network beyond Accra is dense: several flights a day to Kumasi, Takoradi and Tamale, and daily or several-weekly flights to Lagos, Abuja and Abidjan.
When choosing a departure gateway, shippers in South China can use Guangzhou Baiyun or Hong Kong International, shippers in East China Shanghai Pudong, and shippers in North China Beijing Daxing or Beijing Capital. We have cargo collection points in Shenzhen, Dongguan, Foshan and Yiwu to consolidate and clear goods for shippers in different regions, then arrange truck flights to the nearest international gateway.
Connected through the Accra hub, Chinese export cargo can reach Ghana domestic points (Accra, Kumasi, Takoradi, Tamale), Nigeria (Lagos, Abuja), Côte d'Ivoire (Abidjan) and Burkina Faso (Ouagadougou). Through AWA's interline agreements with international carriers the coverage extends to coastal West African cities such as Freetown in Sierra Leone, Monrovia in Liberia and Dakar in Senegal.
For Chinese shippers this covers the main commercial and industrial centres of the ECOWAS region. Phone accessories, small appliances, textiles and garments, building materials, plastic products and general consumer goods exported from China to West Africa can be consolidated in Guangzhou or Shanghai, flown to Accra by a European or Middle East long-haul carrier, and distributed by AWA regional aircraft on frequent flights to the Ghanaian interior and neighbouring countries. That avoids the delays that congestion at a single hub such as Lagos can cause at customs.
In trade terms Chinese exports to Ghana are led by machinery and electrical products, high-tech goods, textiles and steel, while imports from Ghana are mainly cocoa beans, oil, manganese ore and timber. AWA's two-way belly capacity at Accra serves both the distribution of Chinese manufactured goods in Ghana and neighbouring countries and the return of Ghanaian specialty agricultural samples and small high-value shipments to China. For Chinese companies buying cocoa, processing timber or investing in mining in Ghana, the frequent regional network makes it easy to move samples and business documents quickly between Accra and production areas such as Kumasi and Takoradi.
AWA's cargo advantage for Chinese shippers is concentrated at the distribution end. First, Accra Kotoka is a major international aviation hub in West Africa, and as a local carrier AWA responds quickly on ground handling, customs coordination and regional connections. Second, with several domestic flights a day, AWA can move international cargo that lands in Accra to Kumasi, Takoradi and Tamale within 24 hours, which shortens the wait for consignees in the interior. Third, interline agreements with long-haul carriers such as Brussels Airlines and Emirates allow a through waybill to be issued at origin in China, so there is no second customs entry or document exchange in Accra.
For Chinese companies in mining, agricultural processing and contracting in Ghana, the dense regional network moves urgent project parts and equipment spares from Accra to site quickly. For cross-border e-commerce sellers and general trade exporters, the small-package express product delivers between major Ghanaian cities the same day, which supports small replenishment orders from local distributors.
The regional market also has ASKY Airlines and Air Côte d'Ivoire offering similar regional belly service. AWA's differentiation is the densest domestic network in Ghana, the closest working relationship with ground agents at Accra, and steadily rising belly capacity per departure with the E190s. Chinese shippers can compare connection times and rates between regional carriers at the booking stage against the final destination, and we can help select the best routing.
The standard routing for Chinese shippers moving cargo through the AWA network: first, the shipper sends a booking request to Goodhope Logistics (China) Limited stating the airport of departure (Guangzhou CAN, Shanghai PVG or Hong Kong HKG are suggested), the final destination (Accra ACC, or Kumasi, Takoradi, Tamale, Lagos, Abidjan and other points in the AWA network), piece, weight and dimensions, HS code and any restricted content. Second, we check connectable capacity against the long-haul carrier's schedule and issue a through waybill booking number. Third, the shipper delivers the cargo to the origin airport terminal or our bonded facility before the documentation cut-off for security screening, palletising and export declaration. Fourth, once the long-haul carrier lands in Accra, AWA's ground agent takes over and the cargo moves on an AWA regional flight to the final destination.
For regular shippers we can consolidate monthly volumes and negotiate contract rates with the long-haul carrier and the Accra agent. For one-off urgent shipments we can file an emergency capacity request within hours of the cut-off. Insurance certificates, certificates of origin and other accompanying documents can be requested at booking and are reviewed in advance by our documentation desk.
Where the consignee has its own customs team in Ghana, we can hand the cargo over at the Accra airport cargo terminal collection area for the consignee to clear and distribute inland. Where the shipper wants us to handle the full chain, we work with the local Accra agent on clearance, collection and the AWA regional booking, and deliver to the address given in Kumasi, Takoradi or Tamale. Return cargo such as Ghanaian cocoa samples, handicrafts and small high-value items can also be consolidated in Accra through the AWA network and flown back to China by a long-haul carrier, with import clearance and delivery handled by us.
AWA runs a small-package express product inside Ghana for documents, samples and small parcels between Accra, Takoradi, Kumasi and Tamale, with transit times typically around one hour. It is priced as a base freight charge plus a per-kilogram rate and suits high-value samples and urgent business documents.
For Chinese cross-border e-commerce exporters this domestic express product works as an air supplement to local last-mile delivery in West Africa: once the mainline shipment reaches Accra, high-value orders can be distributed quickly to consignees in major Ghanaian cities, complementing local truck delivery on transit time.
On international through shipments from China, AWA's belly space takes general cargo, electronic parts, textile samples and small high-value pieces. Restricted goods such as lithium batteries, magnetic items, liquids and powders require the relevant test reports at booking. Acceptance rules for oversize or overweight equipment, live animals and temperature-controlled cargo are governed by the documents confirmed by the long-haul carrier and the AWA cargo department on the day of booking.
AWA's domestic express product is charged as base freight plus a per-kilogram rate, which suits the fast movement of business documents, samples and small high-value items between Ghanaian cities. For high-value electronics originating in China, declared value for carriage can be added on the long-haul sector to raise the liability limit under the waybill. For transit cargo needing temporary storage, labelling and re-palletising in Accra, the local agent can provide short-term storage.
AWA has no published scheduled service inside China; the airline concentrates on Ghanaian domestic and West African regional routes. Chinese shippers use the network by having a long-haul carrier fly the cargo from Guangzhou, Shanghai, Beijing or Hong Kong to Accra, then distributing on AWA regional flights to the interior and neighbouring countries. We can issue the through waybill and clear the shipment once at origin. The long-haul carrier for the China leg is usually Brussels Airlines, Emirates or Ethiopian Airlines, all of which serve Accra on a fixed basis.
AWA has several domestic flights a day and flies from Accra to Kumasi, Takoradi and Tamale in under an hour each. After clearance and collection in Accra, international cargo can usually move on an AWA regional flight to the final destination the same or the next day. The actual connection depends on the long-haul arrival time and on customs inspection throughput. For time-critical project parts and business documents we confirm the connecting flight with the local Accra agent at the booking stage.
Belly space on regional aircraft is limited and carries documents, express shipments, samples, electronic parts, textile samples and small high-value items. The ERJ-145 hold is small, which restricts piece size and weight; the E190 hold is roomier and takes more loose cargo. Oversize, overweight and heavy bulk cargo is better flown direct to Accra by the long-haul carrier and forwarded by truck. Restricted goods such as lithium batteries need test reports in advance.
Yes. AWA flies regional routes from Accra to Lagos, Abuja, Abidjan and Ouagadougou. Cargo from China that reaches Accra on a long-haul carrier can connect to those cities on AWA. Compared with the single option of flying direct to Lagos, routing through Accra spreads the risk of port congestion and takes advantage of AWA's local ground handling in Ghana. Connecting capacity has to be booked in advance against the long-haul arrival time.
We suggest submitting the booking request seven to ten days before the planned departure; we come back with capacity and a rate within one to two working days. The documentation cut-off is usually 24 to 36 hours before departure, and the cargo must be at the origin terminal or our bonded facility by then. We pass on the waybill details once the flight departs, and after arrival in Accra the local agent handles the AWA regional connection. For customers with steady monthly volumes we can set up a weekly capacity allocation.
As a regional airline that grew out of Ghana, AWA acts as the bridge between international long-haul routes and the local regional network in the West African market. For Chinese shippers, knowing where the AWA network ends and how interline routings work is part of planning any export programme to West Africa, and a practical basis for efficient logistics and long-term cooperation.
Route, schedule, aircraft type and payload information is for reference only and is subject to Africa World Airlines' official notices and to carrier confirmation on the day of booking.
Operations and agency enquiries: Goodhope Logistics (China) Limited, website https://goodhope86.com, email info@goodhope86.com
The Africa World Airlines name, logo and related trademarks belong to Africa World Airlines. Prepared by Goodhope Logistics (China) Limited to describe freight services originating in China.