PassionAir says it is preparing to commence operations in Sunyani, the Bono Regional capital.

 Mr Samuel A. Razak Tachie, the Sales and Marketing Manager, PassionAir, the largest domestic route network in Ghana said this when he and Sharon Dayibor, a Marketing Officer paid courtesy on Madam Justina Owusu-Banahene, the Bono Regional Minister on Thursday.

 “The office at the Sunyani Airport is yet to be branded and preparations are on-going. Sunyani is close to the center of Ghana and we are optimistic we will do good business in the capital. In fact, our inaugural flight would be done very soon”, he said.

 Mr Tachie said PassionAir was also partnering with some leading hoteliers to promote eco-tourism in the Bono Region, saying the airline was also developing an in-flight magazine that would feature, promote and highlight interesting tourist attraction sites, local cuisine, and restaurants and story-telling sites in the region.

 Aviation and economic development, he indicated went hand-in-hand, saying it was imperative that “we promote local businesses by putting the region in a limelight in air travel”.

Mr Tachie emphasized the safety of passengers remained a trademark of PassionAir, and assured to render good customer services, on time departure and smooth and excellent flight operations in the region.

He stressed that the depreciation of the Ghana cedi was seriously affecting and burdening the operations of domestic airlines in the country, saying “we are paying more on fuel which is affecting us seriously”, and expressed the hope that people would patronize their operations in Sunyani.

On her part, Mad Owusu-Banahene lauded PassionAir for the bold decision taken for flight operations in the region and assured high patronage was guaranteed.

She said the operations of the airline would not open up economic opportunities for investments, but would also fetch jobs for people, and appealed to the airline to prioritize local content and create jobs for the indigenous people.

The Regional Minister said the region had about four universities and other tertiary institutions, multinational companies as well as finest hotels and restaurants, and called on the airline to build partnerships to enhance patronage.

Mad Owusu-Banahene assured the Regional Coordinating Council’s readiness to support its advertisement and called on the airline to supply more flyers for distribution.

She called on the media to also support the airline to intensify its publicity, saying that “successful operation of the airline in our region will benefit all of us”.

Mr Maxwell Yeboah, the Sunyani Regional Airport Manager stated the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) had successfully conducted tests at the Sunyani Airport, saying the facility was fit for domestic flight operations.

The Sunyani Airport was originally constructed as an Airstrip and later upgraded into an airport in 1969 and it currently has a total runway length of about 1,520.

 In 2015, GACL and the GCAA shut down the airport as a precautionary measure to forestall any disaster.

But, in 2019 construction works on the expansion and rehabilitation of the airport begun and the first phase of the project had been completed to pave the way for the domestic flight operations.

The second phase of construction works on the project is expected to commence next year.

Source: Ghana/Sompaonline.com/K.Peprah