The Minister for Aviation, Joseph Kofi Adda says his outfit will embark on an inspection of the Kotoka International Airport to determine the country’s preparedness towards a potential reopening on September 1st.

According to him, the inspection will comprise the testing of the airport’s equipment and a well laid out plan to ensure protocols are adhered to.

“We are working quite hard and the Ghana Airport Company is working with the service providers who are going to help us with the testing and the implementation of the protocols”, he said.

Joseph Adda added “the Ghana Health Service through the Port Health are also working with us and they are busy putting all the finishing touches together.

"We’ll invite you tomorrow to join us to have a walkthrough of the preparations that we are undertaking to see if we can really start operating by September 1.”

Background

President Akufo-Addo hinted in his 15th nationwide broadcast on COVID-19 that the country is likely to reopen its entry points for inbound traffic on September 1st as active cases of the new coronavirus decline.

Joseph Adda spoke during his tour to three major ongoing projects being carried out to support the President’s vision of making the country an aviation hub in the sub region.

Project tour

The three ongoing projects include the Air Navigation Services Centre (ANS), new headquarters of the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) and the Northern Aprons.

The ANS will provide an integrated air traffic management system which will aid monitoring and listening.

 It is a 5-storey facility with a basement. It is expected to be the second largest in Africa after South Africa.

The new GCAA building, on the other hand, is an 8-storey facility with a basement.

It is currently 30 percent complete from an expected 40 percent completion as at date.

 The Project Manager, Ben Yeheila of Amandi construction firm attributed the delay to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Meanwhile, the site has been cleared for the expanded Northern Aprons which seeks to serve as a parking space for about 10 to 13 aircrafts.