General News of Saturday, 14 May 2011

Source: GNA

Tamale Airport to be upgraded into international status

Accra, May 13, GNA – Mrs Doreen Owusu-Fianko, Managing Director of Ghana Airport Company Limited (GACL) has announced that the Tamale Airport would soon be upgraded into an international Airport.

She stated that the Airport was currently been used by the Ghana Air force and other civilian operators.

Mrs Owusu-Fianko said the work to be done at the Airport would include widening and extension of the runway and construction of a hacch terminal.

She was responding to comments from participants at a symposium organised by the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority as part of its 25th anniversary celebration in Accra.

The participants bemoaned the fact that the Kotoka International Airport was getting congested with the influx of operators, especially, since the discovery of oil in the country and the lack of an alternative.

Mrs Owusu-Fianko explained that the project would cost about $150 million and would be done in phases since the funds were not available at a go.

She added the GACL would rely on public-private partnership to help fund the project.

Mrs Owusu-Fianko called on government to consider giving 100 per cent of money raised from the Airport passenger service charges to the company to be used for construction and maintenance purposes.