B&FT: Moves to decongest KIA’s Terminal Three appropriate

The move by the Ghana Airport Company to refurbish terminals 1 and 2 of the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) so as to ease the pressure and congestion at Terminal Three is very apt.

Terminal Three, which is the latest addition to the year and a half of the operation at Terminal Three has seen a volume of not less than 3 million passengers which invariably means, the new terminal will hit its maximum capacity very soon.

Therefore, there are worries that Terminal 3 will soon hit the five million passenger throughput, and measures need to be put in place to accommodate spill-overs.

The move, when adopted, will see Terminal 2 catering for regional flights to reduce pressure on Terminal 3, which is currently accommodating international and regional flights. Ever since Terminal Three stated catering to international flights, both terminal 1 and 2 have not been fully utilized.

Aviation Minister Joseph Kofi Adda, briefed Parliament last week about measures being put in place to ensure that KIA is safe as the increasing passenger throughput at the new terminal 1 and 2 gives cause for concern.

Aviation Minister Adda explained that Terminal Two would be refurbished to cater for regional flights while Terminal one will be refurbished to cater for domestic flights. The move to decongest terminal three is very apt because the current pressure on the new Terminal Three could see the facilities over-stretched and could be depreciating faster than expected.

If we are to prolong the life-span of the new Terminal which is the pride of KIA, then we would have to reduce the current pressure on the facility and refurbish the previous two terminals to take up some of the passenger throughput.

However, the major challenge facing the airport company is logistics and the availability of Immigration and Customs officials to process passengers who will pass through Terminal 2 when regional flights are pushed there.

Well, that hurdle has to be overcome if indeed, the country intends to make the KIA the aviation hub of the sub-region. The Ghana Airport Company must come up with innovative ideas to raise funds to procure the needed logistics to put the KIA in the position we desire as a nation.