Excitement fills the air as the government gears up to officially commission the Kumasi International Airport, now to be known as the Nana Agyemang Prempeh I International Airport, in a momentous ceremony scheduled for today, May 10, 2024.
President Akufo-Addo will be in attendance alongside the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, the esteemed Minister of Transport, Kwaku Ofori Asiamah, and the Managing Director of the Ghana Airport Company Limited, Yvonne Nana Afiriyie Opare, among other dignitaries, to inaugurate this significant infrastructure project.
Anticipation is high as the Kumasi Airport is primed to kickstart full operations following its official unveiling.
The airport, now supervised by the Ghana Airport Company Limited, is currently undergoing critical equipment testing essential for both domestic and international flight operations.
With a robust capacity to cater for over Eight hundred thousand (800,000) passengers annually, primarily from the northern and middle belt regions, the airport is poised to address the escalating demand for air travel in the country.
Noteworthy plans by the contractors reveal intentions to extend the runway and dismantle outdated structures upon the commencement of operations of the new terminal.
During a recent site inspection of the project alongside the Ghana Airport Company Limited management and Board Members, Transport Minister Kwaku Ofori Asiamah expressed his contentment with the project’s advancement.
Despite the progress made, the Minister acknowledged concerns regarding the sustainable maintenance of the facility, highlighting its pivotal role in the socio-economic progress of the Ashanti Region and the nation at large.
Minister Asiamah praised the airport’s potential to alleviate the burden on international travelers from the Ashanti, Bono, Ahafo, Northern, and Upper Regions, who will no longer have to journey to Accra to access an international airport.
In a cordial meeting with the Transport Minister, Board, and Management of the Ghana Airport Company Limited at the Manhyia Palace, the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, lauded the government for turning the airport project into a reality.
The Asantehene emphasized the airport’s significant value to the vibrant economic activities of the Ashanti Region, foreseeing increased job opportunities and accelerated economic growth as a direct outcome of the project’s completion.
Phase II of the project, initiated in 2018, encompasses the construction of a new terminal building capable of handling one million passengers annually, in addition to two boarding bridges, a comprehensive road network, a perimeter fence, a substation, and a parking lot, to enhance the operational efficiency of the airport.
By Vincent Kubi