Ghana has initiated the Gateway Project aimed at making the Kotoka International Airport an aviation hub in West Africa with the commissioning of Phase two of the rehabilitation project. The Chairperson of the Board of Airlines Representatives in Ghana, Mrs. Essie Anno-Sackey, who made these optimistic remarks, however, said the new look is not enough to achieve the government's objective to facilitate trade in the sub-region.
Addressing this 2003 Awards Night in Accra, last Friday, Mrs. Anno-Sackey, who is also the Country General Manager of British Airways, said the promotion of reliable regional traffic is one of the ways to enhance intra-regional trade and tourism. "Our airport cannot really be the hub for the sub-region if there is no regional traffic to convey passengers to other destinations
She said total cargo export from Accra stood at twenty-eight thousand tonnes, while import came to over ten thousand tonnes during 2002. She said these figures could be improved if cargo trans-shipment opportunities were created in the sub-region, and a sterile area developed for acceptance of cargo. During the same period, she said, passenger movement for both inbound and outbound flights came to over 630,000 nearly 14,000 over the previous year's figure.
On security at the airport, Mrs. Sackey expressed the board's disapproval of incidents that have brought to question the quality of security procedures and practices leading to tragic occurrences on some outgoing flights and incidents of passengers being robbed at gun point after leaving the airport. She said,"These issues which are picked up by the international press gives the airport a negative image, and most certainly does not encourage potential tourists and business travelers to our country." She said passengers have also had the occasion to complain about their credit cards being compromised in Ghana and called for measures to check the practice and make credit card usage a widespread practice to facilitate transactions.
On passenger airport charges, Mrs. Anno-Sackey said, even though it has been argued that these fees are user fees to justify airport re-development they could also serve to limit usage. "If indeed tourism is an important foreign exchange earner to the country, then these charges which raise airline fares must not be allowed to increase, and certainly not above international comparable rates". She said the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), of which Ghana is a member, has recommended that such resources arising from airport charges must go directly into programmes relating to airport operations.
She appealed to the government to take a critical look at the price build of jet fuel and address the issue of export duty on aviation fuel, a situation which is frustrating the industry resulting in revenue losses to government from airlines opting to re-fuel from airports other than Accra because cost of aviation fuel is higher in Ghana than at other significant traffic and cargo airports in the sub-region such as Dakar, Banjul, Abidjan and Lagos.
The General Manager of Lufthansa, Mr. Abdul Mangera said the Board of Airline Representatives' objectives are to encourage, promote and maintain the harmonious development and expansion of the aviation and airlines industry in Ghana. He said the board seeks to develop general awareness of and understanding in Ghana of the various international instruments governing the aviation and air transport industry worldwide, and in particular those instruments to which Ghana is a contracting party.
Mr. Mangera said the board also aims at encouraging and promoting in Ghana the interest of the aviation and airline industry engaged in the carriage of passengers and cargo from Ghana and within Ghana.
In the awards presentation, the Best Cargo Handling Company went to Panalpina, Best Airport Unit was won by the GCAA Project Team, Best Aviation Personality, Mr. Christopher Quaye and Best Travel Agent Award was won by Journeymax Executive Travel.
