By Anticipation is running high as the government prepares to commission the Kumasi Airport, now renamed the Nana Agyemang Prempeh I International Airport, on May 10, 2024.
President Akufo-Addo will be joined by Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, Minister of Transport Kwaku Ofori Asiamah, Managing Director of the Ghana Airport Company Limited Yvonne Nana Afiriyie Opare, and other dignitaries for the commissioning ceremony.
Following the commissioning on May 10, the Kumasi Airport is set to commence full operations by June this year. Currently under the management of the Ghana Airport Company Limited, the facility is undergoing equipment testing necessary for both domestic and international flights.
With a capacity to cater to over eight hundred thousand (800,000) passengers annually, predominantly from the northern and middle belt regions, the airport is poised to address the growing demand for air travel.
Contractors have unveiled intentions to extend the runway and are considering the demolition of outdated facilities upon the commencement of operations at the new terminal.
Transport Minister Kwaku Ofori Asiamah, during a recent inspection tour of the project alongside the management and Board Members of the Ghana Airport Company Limited, expressed contentment with the progress achieved thus far.
However, he also raised concerns about the long-term maintenance of the facility, emphasizing its significance to the socioeconomic development of the Ashanti Region and Ghana as a whole.
He noted that the arrival of the airport would alleviate the burden on international travelers from Ashanti, Bono, Ahafo, Northern, and Upper Regions, as they would no longer need to travel to Accra to access an international airport.
During a recent courtesy visit to the Manhyia Palace by the Transport Minister and the Board and Management of the Ghana Airport Company Limited, Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II commended the government for realizing the project.
He highlighted that considering the vibrant economic activities in the Ashanti Region, an infrastructure project like the International Airport would undoubtedly lead to job creation and boost the local economy.
Phase II of the project, which commenced in 2018, includes the construction of a new terminal building capable of handling one million passengers per annum, two boarding bridges, a road network, perimeter fence, a substation, and parking lot, among other facilities.
