Accra, May 21, GNA - The Minister Transport, Mr Mike Hammah, has commended the Ghana Airport Company Limited (GACL) for its efforts towards improving upon facilities at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) and the other airports.

"Your tackling the problem of roof leakages during the rainy season is particularly laudable," he said.

He said this was because it was only when roof leakages were repaired during rainy the season that it could easily be detected whether the repairs had been done well or not. Mr Hammah said this when he paid a visit to KIA to ascertain working the conditions there and the progress made so far towards retaining the KIA's Category One status under the Federal Aviation Authority. He said whiles the government was committed to supporting the aviation sector, it was important for the GACL to find innovative ways of involving the private sector to participate in the efforts at improving upon the airports.

Mrs. Doreen Owusu Fianko, Managing Director of the GACL, said whiles the GACL had been working hard towards making the KIA into an aviation hub, "we have had a few challenges and through them chalked significant improvements."

She stressed, "We are working towards ensuring that as aircraft movement increases as a result of the oil find, all airports within the country would be adequately equipped to contain the situation. Giving some details of other arrangements being made by GACL to contain the situation, Mrs. Fianko said the establishment of a cargo hub within the airport city in Accra was being critically looked at since an increase in aircraft activities was definitely going to result in an increase in cargo.

She also said facilities at airport clinic were going to be upgraded and expanded to meet new challenges. She cautioned against the encroachment on the airport's lands. She warned: "Apart from the danger from an aircraft being involved in an incident, when an emergency situation requires that fuel be jettisoned from an aircraft, people located on the lands reserved for that would be affected."

The action, she explained, should, however, be harmless under normal circumstances.

At the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority, (GCAA) the Director General of the GCAA, Air Commodore Kwame Mamphey, said in anticipation of increase in aircraft activity as a result of the oil find, a lot of arrangements were being made for smooth business operation. Air Commodore Mamphey said some employees were being trained in the monitoring of helicopter movement since helicopter movement was expected to increase as a result of the find. He said the GCAA was also looking at various ways to make search and rescue missions reliable. 21 May 10