The Minister for Aviation, Joseph Kofi Adda has cautioned the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) to be careful not to deviate from its main responsibilities for providing service to the airports and the travelling public.
Speaking at the 6TH Annual General Meeting of Ghana Airport Company Limited on Tuesday in Accra, the Minister said, “service to the airports and the travelling public are key in the operations of the Ghana Airports Company and you must never deviate from that.”
Adda reminded that the GCAA is “as an Implementing agency of the Ministry of Aviation with specific responsibility for planning, developing, managing and maintaining all airports and airstrips in Ghana.”
The Minister emphasised the need to guard against the past experience of parastatals whose operations expanded beyond their core duties resulting in the failure of many of them.
“We in the Ministry will be watching in the fringes to make sure that this mistake is not repeated under our watch,” he said.
GACL was established in 2007 as a result of the decoupling of the existing Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) in line with modern trends in the aviation industry.
Home-Based Carrier
The Minister noted that plans are underway for the establishment of a Home-Based Carrier with Private Sector Participation which Ghanaians should expect soon.
He stated that other infrastructural projects such as the construction of the Kumasi and Tamale Airport Phase 11 are ongoing, including the development of the North Apron for the Kotoka International Airport.
Profitability of GACL
GACL’s operating profits for 2017 was about GH¢87 million profit before tax, which is lower by 43 percent compared to the previous year. This has been attributed to operational cost and currency exchange losses.
Despite uncertainties and challenges with the macroeconomic situations in 2017, Management of GACL is confident that the completion of Terminal 3 will create opportunities for further growth in the business.
By Joshua W. Amlanu