The government is in the process of constructing a new international airport in the Dangme West District in the Greater Accra Region as an alternative to the Kotoka International Airport (KIA).
A source close to the newly sworn in Minister of Transport, Dzifa Ativor told The "Al-Hajj" that, in view of the rapid economic growth of the country and with the attraction of Ghana�s aviation industry to many airlines, there is the urgent need for the construction of a new ultra modern international airport that befits our status as an emerging economic hub in West Africa.
The source revealed that �notwithstanding the underutilization of the run way at KIA, the terminal building is over-stretched, in spite of expansion works over the years, hence the need for the new airport to ease pressure on KIA.�
Though, the cost of the yet to be built international airport on a 16000 acre land is not known, it is expected to greatly address the capacity constraints and traffic growth at the Kotoka Airport.
The government, Al-Hajj�s investigations reveal, has made all the necessary financial arrangements for the project and is awaiting approval of the appropriate site.
Currently, a team of surveyors are on the land doing all the necessary surveying and mapping and as soon as that work is completed, the contract will be awarded to interested companies.
The Ghana Airports Company Limited, the paper gathered, is to continue its rehabilitation of the KIA under the phase III project, whiles all regional airports will also undergo thorough major facelifts to improve upon the growing domestic traffic.
It also emerged that, the idea of the new airport, though an NDC manifesto pledge, was also borne out of the need to have a new airport to facilitate and enhance stress less passenger movement and experience in the terminal as well as bigger aircraft movement.
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