With Terminal 3 of Kotoka International Airport (KIA) at the final phase of construction; the Managing Director of Ghana Airport Company Limited (GACL), John Dekyem Attafuah has revealed that there is going to be a full scale simulation to ensure readiness of the systems.
The two major simulations are expected to be completed at the end of this month.
Attafuah made this known in an interview at the 12th Route Africa.
Attafuah said “we are going to have two major simulations, where we would handle about 1000 passengers, pretending that they are travelling.”
“And if we go through those trials and everything works well, then we know that we are ready to open the T3.”
On March 1, 2016, the construction of Terminal 3 of KIA officially commenced at an estimated US$ 274 million, capable of handling five million passengers a year in addition to the current total passenger throughput of 2.3 million handled by T1 and T2.
T3 has an expansion potential of up to 6.5 million, to be equipped with new state of the art facilities.
In the third quarter of 2018, the third international terminal at KIA is expected to be commissioned.
The simulation exercise passengers are expected to be taken through the laid-out procedures for any traveller coming in or out of the country.
He stated that, the simulations will involve all the major operators’ at the airport.
Attafuah explained that the simulations are needed, since unlike Terminal 2, Terminal 3 is going to be controlled by computers and the baggage handling systems.
The new Terminal 3 will handle 1,250 passengers an hour, equipped with three business lounges, large commercial and retail area and six boarding bridges.
Attafuah said “expanding the route network into and out of Ghana is key for the next five years and we intend for KIA to be a driver for air connectivity on the continent.”
Aviation is an important catalyst in driving the expansion and development of economies across the world and Ghana is no exception, he added.
Ghana’s aviation industry experienced impressive growth of 9.7 percent, compared to the global average of 7.5 percent.
Globally, growth in aviation delivers far reaching positive multiplier effects throughout all spheres of the economy.
By Joshua W. Amlanu
