Barring all odds, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo will commission the Sunyani Airport for domestic flight operation to begin this year, Mr Kwaku Ofori Asiamah, the Minister of Transport has announced.

The Minister said the first phase of the rehabilitation and expansion of the airport was virtually completed, saying the president would also perform a ground-breaking ceremony for work to begin on the second phase of the project.

Mr Asiamah gave the announcement when he inspected the progress of work on the facility in Sunyani on Tuesday.

He was accompanied by Mr Ignatius Baffour-Awuah, the Minister of Employment and Labour Relations, Mr Kwasi Ameyaw-Cheremeh, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Sunyani East and some senior officials of the Ghana Airport Company Limited (GACL) and the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA).

Mr Asiamah said he was highly impressed about the work done so far, particularly on the runway, and commended the contractors for the good work.

He expressed worry about the level of encroachment on the airport's land, saying discussions were ongoing between the GACL, GACC, traditional authorities and the encroachers to help resolve the situation.

Mr Asiamah cautioned estate developers, individuals and all potential land buyers to be vigilant in order not to encroach on the remaining land at the Airport.

Madam Justina Owusu-Banahene, the Bono Regional Minister explained the commissioning of the facility would open up the region and spur rapid socio-economic growth and development.

She said it was always hectic for people in the region to travel long hours to Accra, and expressed the hope that the people would patronize the facility to enhance domestic air transport.

The Regional Minister said she was optimistic that the facility would be commissioned for commercial flight operation in the next two weeks, saying Passion and other domestic airlines were all ready to commence operations in Sunyani.

She emphasised the Bono Region had huge economic prospects, saying flight operations would open up the regional capital, boost economic activities, and spur rapid socio-economic growth and development.

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.

Source…www.sompaonline.com/K Peprah