Kumasi Airport to open for night operations

Domestic carriers will from December be able to operate flights from Accra to the Ashanti regional capital Kumasi, as renovation of the runway and installation of airfield ground lighting system is near completion.

The airport is currently only open to traffic for 12 hours daily, from 6am to 6pm local time, due to the absence of a ground lighting system.

It is also closed early to allow for contractors working on the total resurfacing of the 1,981-metre runway and installation of the airport ground lighting system in the night.

It will be recalled that domestic airlines complained bitterly about the delay in opening the airport a few weeks ago, as a result of heavy rains that caused damage to a section of on-going civil works on the runway.

A visit by the B&FT to the airport last week indicated that the first course of the three-layer runway has been completed. The second course, known as the binding course, was almost completed -- with just 75 metres to cover.

The third layer, the wearing course, is expected to be completed after the installation of all airport ground lighting systems.

ADB Airfield Solutions (ADB), a Belgium-based market-leading airfield technology company, is undertaking Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL)-funded installation of all airfield ground lighting system.

PW Ghana is undertaking total resurfacing works at the second-busiest airport in the country.

The precision approach path indicator at both ends of the runway, installation of threshold lights,stop way, edge and end lights, installation of 32 approach lights, and wind-cones are all expected to be completed by November 31, 2014.

B&FT observed first-hand that all major civil works have been completed pending the mounting of the complete airfield ground lighting system.

About 27 kilometres of PVC pipes have been laid to carry the cables that will power all the lights.

One laudable observation about this project is the fact that all lighting system needs have been acquired and are stocked in large containers on-site. All other items needed to ensure completion of the project by November 31, 2014 are also on-site.