GCAA Board Dissolved

......Detention of Ghanaair to blame?...
The Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) Board has been dissolved. The Board chaired by Dr Amoako Tuffuor of the President’s office was served with the notice on Thursday. No reasons were given for the dissolution, which was ordered by the President.

According to JoyOnline, the sudden and unexplained decision to dissolve the Board of Directors is linked to last Wednesday’s detention of a Ghana Airways aircraft, which owes the Kotoka Airport in excess of $6 million. The Speaker of Parliament, Peter Ala Adjetey, was among many passengers affected by the two-hour detention of the aircraft.

Management of the Kotoka Airport say the airline’s debt has been in arrears for several years. Director General, Joe Boachie told the Ghana News Agency that the detention of the aircraft should not be seen as heavy-handedness. He said the Aviation authorities have bent over to accommodate Ghana Airways but to no avail, adding that the delay is creating difficulties for the authorities to carry out its expansion programme at the Airport.

Captain Boachie says the two institutions agreed that the airline should either pay its charges upfront or on a daily basis, but the airline has failed to honour that promise. Last week, the airport detained Air Afrique, Air Cameroon, Air Gabon and Air Morocco for defaulting in the payment of over-flight charges.