The Kumasi International Airport is slated to commence full operations by the end of June this year, with the government announcing that the project will be commissioned by the end of May.
The facility, which has been formally turned over to the Ghana Airports Company Limited, is presently undergoing equipment testing required for both local and international flights.
The facility will handle more than 800,000 people who fly overseas each year from the country’s northern and center regions.
Contractors announced intentions to expand the runway and remove the old buildings once the new terminal is operational.
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Kwaku Ofori Asiamah, Transport Minister, inspected the project with management and Board Members of the Ghana Airport Company Limited on Tuesday and expressed pleasure with the development, but highlighted concerns regarding the facility’s long-term upkeep.
“My concern is not only about the edifice, [it is about] how we are going to put it to use and the maintenance level and how this thing will be functional so that our people will benefit from it. For me, that is where my concern is…We are planning to commission this facility before the end of May. We think that all things being equal we will be able to commission the facility.”
“But the fact that we commission doesn’t mean we will start operation. Because even if you commission it, you need to do more testing system and per the Ghana Airports, we are looking at by the end of June we should operationalise…All things being equal that is our timeline,” he stated.
Meanwhile, Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II has emphasized the airport’s critical role in the country’s socioeconomic growth, urging the government to hasten the construction of the Boankra Inland Port.
He urged the government to overcome the issues limiting the Boankra Inland Port’s growth while also trying to make the Kumasi International Airport operational.
Asantehene made these remarks during a courtesy call on him by the Transport Minister along with the Management and Board of the Ghana Airport Company Limited on Tuesday.
“The progress on the Airport project is commendable but the Inland Port project is also at a slow pace. Whatever impediments are slowing the progress, ensure that are removed for its completion. The coming in of the Inland Port and the International Airport with the railway will boost the economy.
“The Inland Port project has been delayed. It started in the era of President Kufour. Ensure all the obstacles are cleared to make that project see the light of day. Even if it means to get a share of the IMF loan to complete the Inland Port project, it is possible,” he said.
