<<Print>>

Mr Benjamin Ahlijah, Safety Manager at Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL), has called for the removal of Foreign Objects Debris (FOD) from the air-side to prevent serious damage to aircraft and passengers. He explained that when an aircraft�s engine sucks in an FOD, such as bolts, nuts, pieces of glass, polythene and rubber; it could cause problems in the engine, which could put the lives of the passengers in danger. Mr Ahlijah made the call when officials of GACL undertook a FOD Walk at the airside of Kotoka International Airport (KIA) to collect any foreign objects and debris. The exercise involved staff of various departments of GACL as well as journalists. Mr Ahlijah in an interview with the GNA in Accra on Thursday, said it was important for the traveling public to know exactly what goes into maintaining safety in the industry. �It�s not just about picking FOD, it�s about creating awareness about the need to keep FOD from the air side. Safety is key, our success depends on it and safe flights start from the ground�. However, Mr Ahlijah assured passengers that KIA had not recorded any incident involving an FOD although they had reported spotting foreign objects at the air side. He said KIA was doing everything to prevent any such incidents, including sweeping the taxi and runways daily with a runway sweeper and organising quarterly FOD Walks. Mr Oscar Provencal, Public Relations Officer of Zoomlion Ghana Limited, sponsors of the walk, presented 20 dustbins to the GACL in response to a request made by GACL to Zoomlion. The walk was replicated simultaneously at the regional airports.