GCAA kicks against fragmentation…as airspace meeting nears

The aviation industry regulator, Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), says it is imperative to keep the Accra Flight Information Region (FIR) -- comprising Ghana, Togo and Benin -- together for economic and security reasons.

The concerns have been raised ahead of a crunch-meeting with transport and aviation regulators in the three West-African countries.

Mr. Martey Boye Atoklo, Acting Deputy Director-General (Technical) of the GCAA, told the B&FT:

“Fragmentation wouldn’t help. For all those years we controlled their (Togo, Benin) airspace; but the issue has to do with having a say in the whole operation. We have set money aside for Togo and Benin, but we need to come to the table and say ‘this is how we are going to co-manage’.”

He warned that: “We are looking for personnel to relocate into Accra and also control the aircraft from here. We don’t want to fragment. That’s not the way to go, it’s not safe”.

International airlines operating flights to and from Accra are said to have raised concerns about fragmenting the Accra FIR, as it would mean using three different control towers during flight within the region as against the current use of one control tower situated in Accra.

A delegation led by Ghana’s Ministry of transport is expected to meet their Togolese and Benin counterparts in the coming weeks.

The internationally designated Accra Flight Information Region (FIR) -- which refers to the combined upper airspace (240 feet and above) and large portions of the Atlantic Ocean of Ghana, Togo, and Benin -- has been managed by the GCAA on behalf of the three countries for decades.

However, revenue accruing from management of the Accra FIR has only gone into the coffers of GCAA, with no share of the proceeds paid to either Togo or Benin.

Air navigation charges for all international flights over four tonnes operating within the Accra FIR as at 2010 were charged US$0.75 per kilometre flown. The minimum charge within the Accra FIR is US$200 and a maximum of US$600.

Aircraft with weight between 4-20 tonnes are charged a US$200 flat-rate.

International aircraft movement to and from the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) at the end of last year stood at 23,437 from 21,072 in 2010.

Data from the GCAA indicates that for the first half of this year aircraft movement stood at 12,836 for international operations; giving an indication of the revenue at stake.

The GCAA reckons that if the two countries pull out of the Accra FIR, it will lose about 52 percent of its revenue.