Pilot seized by angry passengers

Stranded travellers at Ghana's main airport held a pilot hostage when their patience over delays ran out.

The passengers had been waiting for days to fly on Ghana Airways - recently banned from the United States.

Police say a number of them stopped the pilot boarding his aircraft on Sunday and then held him against his will.

The pilot was freed after negotiations with police. "They were just giving vent to their frustrations," policeman Kofi Boaliye.

He said they released two of the hostage takers after briefly detaining them.

The troubled national carrier says it is trying to acquire a leased aircraft to take over the disrupted services to Europe and the United States.

Crisis

Ghanaian media reported that President John Kuffour held an emergency meeting with airline officials and police on Sunday evening - after the hostage incident had been resolved.

Ghana Airways was stopped from flying to the United States late last month, pending an investigation into allegations that it flew unsafe planes and operated with an expired licence.

Many of the stranded passengers will have bought tickets to the United States before the ban was announced.

The Ghanaian carrier usually operates four round trips to the US a week.

Ghana Airways? passengers in hostage drama
Two male passengers enraged at delays to a Ghana Airways flight from the Ghanaian capital Accra to London yesterday took two staff hostage and barricaded themselves in an office at Kotoka International airport.

The passengers refused to let the two staff leave unless a plane arrived to take them to London.

After a two-hour standoff police stormed the room and arrested the men. The two hostages were unhurt.

Angry passengers claimed to have been waiting over 48 hours for the aircraft to leave the airport.

US transportation officials last month barred Ghana Airways from flying into or out of the US due to concerns over the airline?s safety. Regulators are investigating allegations the airline ignored orders to ground unsafe aircraft and flew on an expired license.

Ghanair passengers clash with police

Accra, Aug. 9, Chronicle -A last-minute attempt, yesterday, by the police to eject passengers of Ghana Airways who had besieged the offices of the airline at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA), to demand their right to accommodation and allowance after being delayed, resulted in a clash. This has come a week after some other passengers of Ghana Airways took a similar action to register their protest and anger against the management of the airline after it was banned from flying to the United State of America.

The situation was generated when the police received a call that irate passengers traveling to London and America had taken staff and pilots of the airline hostage at KIA although they were just demanding their right to accommodation and allowance, as well as when their flight would be ready.

According to one of the passengers, J.W. Adusei, the police, wielding weapons, came in to eject passengers forcefully, resulting in a 65-year-old banker blacking out. Mr. O.K Sikayenah who was supposed to report to work this Wednesday, woke up at the Aviation hospital to his own surprise.

Narrating his ordeal to The Chronicle amidst tears, he said he was at the offices of Ghana Airways when the Police, led by the Greater Accra Regional Commander; ACP Kofi Boakye entered, pushed him against a table and dragged him out of the room across the road. He said he blacked out and woke up to find himself in hospital.

He said he was shocked that his fellow Ghanaian could treat him in this manner.
Mr. Sikayenah added that he was only at the office to inquire about when he was to leave and where he would stay. He had come from a village near Kumasi and had used up all his money. Dr. Ankomah of the Aviation Clinic who treated him told The Chronicle he was out of danger.
Mr Adusei said it was a false call that passengers had taken staff of the airline hostage and did not believe it was right for the police to wield arms to eject them from the office even though he admitted that some of his colleagues, in the early stages, had prevented some of the staff from coming out of the office.
However, in a crisis meeting held at the residence of the Inspector General of Police (IGP), comprising the National Security Coodinator, the Minister of Transport, the Board Chairman of Ghana Airways, a representative from the office of the president and two passengers, the IGP apologized to the passengers over what had happened.
The outcome of the meeting was that accommodation be sought at the M Plaza Hotel for them whilst monetary compensation would be worked on.
The Board Chairman, Mr. E.R.K. Dwemoh and the Acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Ghana Airways also apologized to the passengers for the delay in their flights and that they were doing everything in their power to get them an aircraft as soon as possible.
Ato Arku-Nelson who was the leader of the passengers told The Chronicle that Ghana Airways had made arrangements with an aviation company in the States to lease an aircraft to carry most of their passengers at a cost of about $150,000.
The deal fell through but only for a moment, as the aircraft could not be released because the company later demanded only cash payment, denying Ghana Airways access to the aircraft at that time.
This, according to the Marketing Manager, Mr. Mawuko Afadzinu, this had caused the delay in hauling the passengers to their various destinations. He was making frantic efforts to find accommodation for the passengers at M Plaza when The Chronicle left the airport.
Some passengers called on government to muster the political will to restructure the airline because it was eroding the hard-won reputation of the country. They also called on the management of the airline to put in place measures to renew the airline?s license to fly to the US and also buy more aircraft.