After concluding his final inspection tour of the facility on Tuesday, July 19, 2022, with a team of experts from the Ghana Airports Company (GAC), the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), and the Ghana Air Force, the Minister of Transport, Hon. Kwaku Ofori Asiamah, declared the Sunyani Airport a facility fit for purpose.
After reviewing all the work done by the contractor, Resources Access Limited on phase one of the Sunyani Airport Rehabilitation Project, started in 2018 by the Akufo-Addo-led administration, he came to the conclusion that the facility is now prepared for use.
He was keen to point out that the airport would only be operational once the Ghana Air Force had properly reviewed, authorised, and validated the aerial coordinates. There would then be test flights to make that the runway and other facilities for safe aircraft landing and takeoff have complied with all aviation requirements.
"Thank goodness, the contractor has finished, and we are now waiting for the planes to start operating. But there are laws and guidelines in the aviation sector. Any airport that wants to start operating must first complete a set of requirements set out by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). We have therefore dispatched a team of specialists from the Ghana Civil Aviation, Ghana Airports Company Limited, and the Ghana Air Force to assess the facility and see whether all legal criteria have been fulfilled, he said.
The Transport Minister made these comments to journalists shortly after his team of specialists had completed a comprehensive evaluation of the GHS48 million airport project.
He was accompanied by Hassan Tampuli Sulemana, Deputy Minister of Transport, Kwasi Ameyaw-Cheremeh, Member of Parliament (MP) for Sunyani East and Board Chairman of the Bui Power Plant, Ignatius Baffour Awuah, Member of Parliament (MP) for Sunyani East and Minister for Employment and Labor Relations, Kwame Baffour, aka "Abronye," Bono Regional Chairman of the NPP, Justin
He said that in order to prevent any fatalities, the Ministry of Transport would always see to it that the ICAO's regulatory criteria are met.
"The Sunyani Airport was shut down in 2015 as the runway started to erode and lost its utility. The aviation sector is highly regulated, and if standards aren't met, it puts people's lives at danger. Because of this, the airport was shut down so that renovations could start to satisfy ICAO requirements. We have now taken steps to make it possible for planes to land here. We'll make sure this airport complies with industry best practises and is suitable for its intended use. Now the planes can land without endangering people, the man added.
Working with the Transport Minister in Sunyani to evaluate the aerial coordinates, a group of professionals from the Ghana Air Force started to work. They took off from Accra in a chopper operated by the Ghana Air Force and were held in midair for almost twenty (20) minutes before touching down.
"It is an air route, and the aircraft must maintain a specific altitude and set of coordinates before landing. The Ghana Air Force's Group Captain and Director of Engineering, Gervase Wienaa, stated that the fundamental reason for our trip was to validate the route and deliver the report to the GCAA for certification.
It is anticipated that the GCAA will evaluate and certify the report's findings.
According to Abdul Salam Zabilila Alhassan, Director of Projects & Operations at Resources Access, they are happy to have completed their duty of demarcating the scratches to improve friction on the runway as well as finishing the markings on the runway.
He said, "We are currently waiting for the airport to obtain the regulators' certification of the facility.
Speaking about the airport infrastructure, Mr. Daniel Acquah, the deputy director-general for technical at the GCAA, expressed his admiration for Resources Access Limited's efforts and his expectation that some aircraft would start flying soon.
Pamela Djamson-Tettey, the managing director of Ghana Airports Company, stated, "We are thrilled to be here today and feel very happy that our airport is ready to commence operations. We think that the consultant and contractor executed on schedule and at a very high quality. We are only waiting for operations to begin because it means a lot to Ghana Airports to be able to generate the income from a crucial location like Sunyani. Several domestic airlines have made several requests to run the route. Therefore, we are delighted that today, since we are here to conduct the inspection, we will return with good news and the airport will be operational in a few days.
Justina Owusu Banahene, the Bono Regional Minister, also commented on the facility and said that Passion Air has applied to run the Sunyani-Accra route among other routes. She believed that several other airlines would join in.
The first phase of the Sunyani Airport rehabilitation project started in 2019. To provide room for safe aeroplane takeoffs and landings, it was planned to be finished by the end of May 2021. However, because of the new Coronavirus epidemic, construction on the facility had to be put on hold until life in the nation was once again normal.
blogpay
