Upper West Regional Minister, Dr. Hafiz Bin Salih has revealed that commercial flights will soon resume operations at the Wa airport flowing the dismantling of the Vodafone mast that was located on the flight path a couple of days ago.

Though he failed to give timelines on the resumption of the operations, he stated that many airlines have expressed interest in the Wa-Accra route and he was well convinced that it wouldn’t be long.

Transport Minister Kwaku Ofori Asiamah, a couple of months ago directed that the mast be pulled down to pave way for commercial flights to resume operations in the region.

Pilots flying in to or out of the airport, he said, often complain of the arduous times they have to go through to either land or fly out of the airport.

The halting of commercial flights at the Wa airport in march 2020 has negatively impacted the economic fortunes of the people.

Travelers have to revert to their old ways of traveling to the nation’s capital through road transport. This they do by sitting in vehicles for at least 12 hours in the over 700 kilometers.

Checks by JoyNews some three weeks ago, showed riggers on top of the mast located at Wa-Kpaguri busily attempting to dismantle it.

However, upon returning to the site on Tuesday, July 28, the mast had been removed. Only a few ancillary equipment could be spotted.

Again, some trees planted closer to the Wa airport and alleged to be hindering operations were also hacked down.

Upper West Regional Minister, Dr. Hafiz Bin Salih stated that "I have written to the Transport Minister, copied the Ghana Airport Company and Africa World Airline, informing them of the dismantling of the mast. As to when they will start, I am unable to tell when they will resume but I believe strongly that it will be soon".

Though commercial flights are yet to resume operations, Dr. Bin Salih is optimistic about the benefit that the people will derive from it.

Dr Bin Salih disclosed that the Upper West Region has been given the greenlight to host the North Ghana Development Summit which he intends to invite top government officials, foreign envoys, and ambassadors from different countries.

"Most of them will like to fly by air for the summit. So, if commercial flights start operations, it will make it much easier to organize the summit better for the region. So, it’s the beginning of good things to come," he added.