Two major flight landing projects being undertaken by the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) as part of efforts to upgrade the Kumasi Airport are nearing completion.
The 735,000 euros projects, which are about 80 per cent complete, include the construction of an aircraft localiser and a glideslope station. Officials say they will be completed in February 2014.
The localiser would guide aircrafts to the centre of the runway even under harsh weather conditions, while the glideslope station would provide elevation information to aircrafts.
A German firm, Thales Air System, is undertaking the project.
Absence of the two installations at the Kumasi Airport had in the past resulted in the cancellation of flights to and from the airport, and in some situations, incoming aircrafts, confronted with terrible visibility conditions, were forced to return to Accra.
During a media tour of the project sites yesterday, the acting Deputy Director of Engineering at the GCAA, Mr Barnaby Mateer, said the quest to upgrade the airport to international standard was on course.
He indicated that the two projects were crucial in the move to turn Kumasi around and promised that everything would be done to complete the projects on time.
Traffic volumes
The Kumasi airport had seen a major upsurge in traffic volumes, recording a current average of 40,000 passengers per month.
Currently, four local commercial airlines operate at the airport. They are Antrak, 540, Starbow and Africa World Airlines. With improved service delivery and the upgrading of equipment, volumes are expected to go up next year.
That is why the GCAA is determined to work extra hard to meet the demands of passengers. Mr Mateer expressed concern about the encroachment on the airport lands, a situation he noted could thwart expansion programmes.
According to him, a request had been made to the Asokore Mampong Municipal Assembly to help evict the squatters and expressed the hope that action would be taken without delay.
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