By Akanimo Sampson
Ghanaian Transport Minister, Kwaku Ofori Asiamah, says the ongoing Kumasi International Airport expansion project is on track, and will be fully completed this year and opened for service as soon as next year.
Speaking after a recent site visit, Asiamah said, ‘we expect the second phase of the project to be completed by June 2021, while the third phase which is concurrently ongoing, will be completed by the end of this year as well, transforming the facility into a fully-fledged international airport.’
The second phase of the Kumasi International Airport expansion project involves the construction of a new passenger terminal with the capacity to handle more than one million passengers per year.
It also includes the construction of other multiple service facilities at the airport as well as the extension of the existing runway from the current length of 1,981m to 2,300m, in a bid to enable the airport to accommodate wide-body aircraft such as Boeing 737-800.
The scope of works for the third phase of the project on the other hand are the development of a 2, 5522m2 terminal building extension, construction of a new fire station, new fire access road, and new air control tower(ACT).
Other works include the development of a 9,000m2 car park extension, 4,200m2 access road extension, and two new boarding bridges. The scope of works on the airside includes a 7,731m2 apron extension, a 202,805m2 runway strip, and an airside service road.
On the sidelines of the Kumasi International Airport expansion project announcement, Asiamah disclosed that plans were far advanced for the commencement of the Kumasi Airport City project.
He said that he had directed the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority to start the feasibility studies of the project and that the ministry of transportation would soon come out with the standards and design of the required facilities needed to be put in place and the cost involved.
