The Chairman of the Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL), James Agalga, has painted a grim picture of the infrastructural decay at the Accra International Airport (KIA), warning that the facility faces a potential international downgrade if massive investment is not injected immediately.

Appearing on the Joy FM Super Morning Show on Tuesday, 7th April 2026, Mr Agalga revealed that the airport is currently operating under "distress", with critical systems, including the main runway and waste management plants, having reached the end of their lifespans.

The 30-year runway crisis

The Board Chairman disclosed that the runway at KIA has hit its 30-year limit, necessitating a complete and costly "overlay" or resurfacing. Failure to carry out these works would see Ghana fall out of conformity with International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) standards, leading to a downgrade of the airport's status.

To manage the crisis without halting operations entirely, the GACL has implemented a restrictive flight schedule.

“After 11 o'clock, we don't receive flights because we pave the way for the contractors to go on site. They work at night. We're racing against time. We have to fix it,” Agalga explained.

A $50 million "sewage timebomb"

Beyond the tarmac, the Chairman highlighted a hidden but potentially catastrophic threat: the airport's sewage treatment plant. Having outlived its operational life, the plant now poses a significant health and safety risk to travellers and staff alike.

“The sewage treatment plant at the airport has reached that point where we would have to replace it. Its lifespan is over... one day we can have a disaster on our hands. Can you imagine if all those substances... explode?”

Replacing the plant is estimated to cost no less than $50 million, a sum the Chairman insists cannot be found without the recently introduced surcharges. Under the new policy, domestic tickets carry a 100-cedi levy, while international passengers pay up to $100 on return journeys.

The cost of habitability

Mr Agalga argued that the levies are not merely administrative fees but survival taxes intended to keep the airport "habitable". He maintained that every business must base its charges on its operational costs and future requirements, and for the GACL, those requirements are now urgent.

“Unfortunately, that is where we are. And it's one reason why the airport company is in distress. Government is saying that to be able to fund all these projects... it is justifiable to introduce new levies,” he concluded.