Work on Kumasi Airport to be completed June: Phase III by end of year

The phase two of the ongoing Kumasi International Airport expansion project will be completed for use by passengers by June 2021.

Once the phase II is completed , the old airport terminal which has outlived its usefulness, will be demolished for other ancillary works to be done.

Phase II involves construction of a new passenger terminal and multiple service facilities at the airport, and when completed, will have the capacity to handle more than one million passengers a year.

The existing runway will also be extended from the current length of 1,981m to 2,300m, to enable the airport to accommodate wide body aircraft such as Boeing 737-800.

Phase III

That notwithstanding, the phase III of the Kumasi International Airport , which is concurrently ongoing, is also scheduled to be completed by the end of this year and will be transformed it into a fully fledged international airport.

The scope of works for the phase III  are the development of a 2, 5522m2 terminal building extension, new fire station, new fire access road and new air control tower(ACT).

Others are 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 include a 7,731m2 apron extension, a 202,805m2 runway strip and an airside service road.

Satisfaction

The Minister of Transport, Mr Kweku Ofori Asiamah, on Tuesday led a delegation to inspect ongoing works at the airport where he expressed satisfaction with the progress of work at the site by Contracta, a Brazilian construction firm.

 The Managing Director of the Ghana Airport Company, Mr Yaw Kwakwa, and the Regional Secretary of the NPP, Mr Sam Paye were present.

 "What I have seen here today is very encouraging. The contractor has assured me that though the execution period of the phase III has been extended, they would conclude on the scheduled time," he assured.

He recalled  that the airport had witnessed a steady rise in passenger traffic over the recent years, and that the expansion would also serve the growing demand by adding capacity to serve international passengers.

Kumasi Airport City Project

Mr Asiamah also disclosed that plans were far advanced for the commencement of the Kumasi Airport City project, which would be private sector-led.

He said he had directed the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority to start the feasibility studies of the project, and that the ministry would soon come out with the standards and design of the required facilities needed to be put in place and the cost involved.

The minister explained that aside from the project leading to the development of the Kumasi Airport enclave into a strategic commercial area, it would also attract more investment, create more jobs and catalyse economic growth.

Resident Engineer

For his part, the Resident Engineer of ADK-ARWP, Nana Ametepe, said one major challenge which had delayed works was the COVID-19 pandemic, and that it had affected procurement of building materials from abroad.

“Now it is difficult to get shipping lines to make supplies as required,“ he added.