Our airports must be safe

The low patronage of airlines in the COVID-19 era that resulted in lamentations from airline-related businesses has given way to a 25 per cent increase in pre-COVID travel volumes.

Since the easing of the COVID-19 restrictions around the world in 2021, both domestic and international air travels have increased significantly.

Figures from the Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL) and the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA indicate that domestic passenger flows jumped from 423,718 in 2020 to 722,721 in 2021, the highest in nearly a decade.

 The figure represents a 70.57 per cent surge in domestic passenger traffic over that of the previous year, which indicated a full recovery of the aviation industry from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a Graphic Online report in April 2022, experts attributed the growth to the strong consumer confidence in the aviation industry, which is hinged on safety, reliability and affordability.

Aside from the over 70 per cent upsurge in domestic passenger traffic, there was also a 25 per cent increase in international air travel from the 2021 figures.

The data on Ghana is not different from the general rebound of air traffic travel around the world.

In October this year, Cirium, an aviation analytics firm, said global airline capacity was poised to finally surpass its corresponding 2019 levels in the second week of October. 

The moment marked a milestone in the recovery from the COVID-19 outbreak. 

In fact, countries and businesses are making all efforts and putting the necessary measures in place to cash in on the huge potential and opportunities that the industry presents.

Currently, the global airline business is valued at $1.2 trillion.

It is thus disheartening that while these efforts are ongoing and the country is doing its bit to get some share of this business, there are some elements that are consciously or unconsciously thwarting such work.

Last Friday, December 8, we published a story in which the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) warned that the continuous use of high lighting and fire techniques illegally by individuals and groups of people within the aerial boundaries of the airport was affecting the smooth landing and take-off of aircraft at the KIA and other airports in the country.

According to the KIA, the human activities within parts of East Legon, the Accra-Tema Motorway, La Wireless, Cantonments and its environs in the Greater Accra Region pose a huge threat to the visibility of aircraft at both the approach and departure ends of the airport.

Consequently, the GCAA has issued a fresh warning to the public, especially operators of nightclubs and individuals, to desist from using flashing lights, lasers and pyrotechnics at aircraft approach and departure pathways.

The warning is timely, however, the Daily Graphic reasons that many a time some of these infractions are committed because of a lack of knowledge that makes the perpetrators not to fully appreciate the enormity of their actions.

Therefore, we call for continuous, regular and sustained education to help reduce the danger we are subjecting our airports to.

It is also unthinkable that some individuals choose to dump refuse within the aerodrome of the airport, attracting birds that end up attacking approaching or departing aircraft.

As Christmas fast approaches with its many activities in the month of December, many visitors are expected to troop into the country to savour the experiences.

 We must strengthen both education and law enforcement in order to maintain and add more to our share of the global airline cake.

Last week Tuesday, the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, announced that the government was positioning the country strategically among Africa’s top three tourism destinations to attract $5 billion dollars revenue in five years.

 (Refer to our front page of Wednesday, December 6, 2023).

This will be difficult to attain if travellers lose confidence in the safety of our airports, occasioned by such acts as the use of lasers and dumping of refuse in the vicinity of our airports.

The paper thinks addressing these challenges will demand the collaboration of the ministries responsible for transport, sanitation, local government, and their agencies, and this must be done immediately to reap the benefits of our aviation sector.