Work to upgrade Kumasi Airport begins

Business News of Monday, 22 April 2013

Source: graphic.com.gh

Kumasi Airport New

Work to upgrade the Kumasi Airport to international standard by the end of 2015 has commenced.

The project, valued at about $300 million, would see the construction of a new two-storey ultra-modern terminal, restaurants, shopping and parking areas, and a ring road around the airport.

Currently, upgrading work on the existing runway and some related works are in progress. A new runway will be added in due course, after which flights can take off and land in the night.

Mrs Doreen Owusu-Fianko, the Managing Director of the Ghana Airports Company, who made this known in Kumasi last Thursday, said possibly, by next year when the Ghana Immigration Service and the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority set up their offices at the airport, the facility would be technically declared an international airport.

She stated these when consultants to the new terminal project, Avanti Architects Limited, introduced the final drawings for the project to the media in Kumasi.

The terminal project would be financed with internally generated funds (IGF) of the Ghana Airports Company and the private sector.

Stressing on the importance of the Kumasi airport to national development, the MD said the need to transform the airport to international standards was necessary, adding, “This is a very important project for the country.”

She also said the passenger traffic at the Kumasi airport, which presently stood at 14,000 a month, would increase to about five million annually when the airport attained international status.

Mrs Owusu-Fianko said the upgrading of the airport was in line with the company’s move to make Kumasi “an airport city.”

She appealed to the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) to play its role in making the project a reality.

An architect, Mr Michael Jumu, said the international airport would also depict “the tradition and culture of the people of Ashanti.” He was also confident that the project would be carried out on schedule.

The KMA Chief Executive, Mr Kojo Bonsu, expressed his determination to do everything possible to get the project completed on time.

He said upgrading Kumasi airport would be a massive step to change the development of Kumasi and attract investors.