[11][12][13] AWA was born as the brainchild of noted Ghanaian investment banker and traditional leader Togbe Afede XIV.

[15][16] After securing funding and partnership for the project, the initial management team led by CEO Zhang Jiuhua and COO Sean Mendis proceeded with the technical certification of the airline.

[24] Plans for expansion of regional routes were temporarily put on hold due to the outbreak of Ebola in West Africa,[25] but the airline nonetheless recorded its first annual profits in 2014.

[9] The airline continued to expand its domestic market share during this period,[26] and focussed on training Ghanaian staff in technical roles such as pilots and engineers to reduce dependence on expatriates.

[27] In May 2015, AWA successfully completed its first IOSA audit, making it only the second airline in Ghana to achieve this international safety standard.

[45] AWA received the second highest score among all African airlines for their COVID-19 safety protocols as assessed by independent watchdog Safe Travel Barometer.

[47] The airline saw significant staff turnover and changes during the period immediately following the pandemic, with both COO Mendis and CEO Luo exiting the company for the second time at the expiry of their contracts in 2020 and 2022 respectively, and Yingli Zhou taking over as the new Chief Executive.

[48][2] The airline faced significant operational issues that led to the grounding of three aircraft and forced them to suspend flights to Abidjan, Freetown and Monrovia.

Increased competition from Passion Air also led to an erosion of AWA's previously dominant domestic market share during 2022.

[52] Africa World Airlines stated that it intended to introduce two additional ERJ-145s in 2021,[37] as well as a larger capacity aircraft type at the appropriate time to expand its regional routes.

[56][57] In 2019, a three-way MoU was signed between COMAC, CAD Fund and AWA to promote the launch of the ARJ-21 aircraft in the African market, although no specific timeline was given for the introduction of this type.

[59][60] On 15 April 2021, Africa World Airlines conducted the first ever test flight by a jet aircraft to Ho Airport in the Volta Region of Ghana.

[66] The airline also announced an interline partnership with Emirates to provide domestic and regional feed to their flights at Kotoka International Airport in Accra.

[67] AWA also signed a tripartite partnership with Ethiopian Airlines and ASKY to offer seamless travel within the West African region.

[69][70] AWA and Air Burkina announced in January 2020 that they had concluded a partnership for passengers to connect from Ouagadougou through Accra to Lagos, Abuja and Abidjan.