James Agalga says the runway has reached its 30-year limit
Board Chairman of the Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL), James Agalga, has raised concern over infrastructural decay at the Accra International Airport (AIA), warning that the facility faces a potential disaster.
He asserted that the facility risks international downgrade if massive investments are not injected immediately.
During an interview on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show on Tuesday, April 7, 2026, Agalga said the airport is functioning under distress with critical systems including the runway and waste management plants reaching the end of its functional limit.
He particularly indicated that the runway has reached its 30-year limit, hence signalled that an "overlay" or resurfacing is crucial to maintain it.
He warned that Ghana is likely to fall out of conformity with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards, leading to a downgrade of the airport's status.
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“After 11 o'clock, we don't receive flights to 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.
Agalga added that a potential catastrophe looms as the airport's sewage treatment plant has outlived its functional lifespan.
He argued that the sewage plant now poses a significant health and safety risk to travelers and staff alike if not attended to.
“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?” he asked.
He also suggested that replacing the plant could cost over $50 million which he insists cannot be raised without the recently introduced levies at the airport.
Under the new policy, domestic tickets carry a 100-cedi levy, while international passengers pay up to $100 on return journeys.
Agalga termed the levies as not administrative fees but survival taxes that would be used to finance maintenance works at the airport.
“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 stated.
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