GHANA AIRPORTS NEWSLETTER- 1ST QUARTER

JANUARY - MARCH 2017

ISSUE NO. 51

OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF GHANA AIRPORTS COMPANY LIMITED

New Managing Director appointed

In this issue

African Air Expo relaunched

FMCC Awareness month observed

Minister of Aviation visits KIA

First Quarter FOD walk organized

Corporate News

Contents 3

- New Managing Director Appointed

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4

- Managing Director interacts with staff

25 - KIA welcomes Air Peace

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- Minister of Aviation tours Kumasi & Sunyani Airports

26 - Learning and Development Centre takes off

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- Independence day celebrated at KIA

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- AVSEC Welfare Association swears in new Executives

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- Africa Air Expo re-launched

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- First Quarter Ramp Safety Committee meeting held

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- Minister of Aviation visits KIA

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- GALAC bids Charles Asare Farewell

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- Airport Services & Passenger handling course ends

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- FMCC Awareness Month

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- Airport Strategic Management with Simulation course ends

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- First Quarter FOD Walk organised

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- AVSEC Supervisors course ends

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- Workshop on Service Excellence held

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- Capt. Komeng and Rev. Gadzegba retire

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- Air France launches direct flights between Accra and Paris

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- Local Runway Safety team tour on-going projects

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- Peer Educators attend refresher course

- AWA welcomes its fifth aircraft

Ghana Airports Company Limited KA PMB 36 KIA, Accra Tel: (+233) (0302) 550 612 Email: info@gacl.com.gh Website: www.gacl.com.gh www.facebook.com/ghanaairports www.twitter.com/gh_airports Editorial Team: Adwoa Boatemaa Sono Aba Kuntua Sam Newman Jones Quartey

Photography: Francis Eweh Send your comments, contributions & suggestions to: airportsnewsfile@gacl.com.gh Design & Layout Corporate Communications, GACL Ext. 2501 The Airportsnewsfile is the official newsletter of the Ghana Airports Company Ltd published monthly. Its contents may not be reproduced in any form without the written permission of Management.

23 - Seminar on Financial well-being

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Corporate News

New Managing Director Appointed This serves to advise that Mr John Dekyem Attafuah has been appointed as Managing Director of the Ghana Airports Company Limited.

Mr. John Dekyem Attafuah holds a degree in Computer Science and Statistics, from University of Ghana, Legon and a Master of Science degree, in Systems Development, from Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland.

Until his appointment, he was the Managing Director of Virtual Access Limited, a market research company, and has over 30 years' experience in the Energy, Services, Information Technology (IT) and Pharmaceutical industries.

With a practical and result-oriented management style, Mr. Attafuah has built a formidable track record of solid achievements in both the public and private sectors.

Mr. John Dekyem Attafuah, served as the Chief Executive Officer, of the National Petroleum Authority, from 2005 to 2009. He has also co-authored a number of publications.

Staff are kindly requested to offer him the necessary assistance and co-operation in the performance of his duties.

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Corporate News

New Managing Director interacts with staff The newly appointed Managing D i re c to r, M r J o h n D e k ye m Attafuah has been introduced to staff at an Employee Forum.

In his response to some questions during the interactive session, Mr Attafuah indicated that his expectation was for staff to e x h i b i t a h i g h l e ve l of professionalism and efficiency in the discharge of their duties. He told staff that he was a practical and results-oriented person who loves to solve problems.

The Deputy Managing Director, Finance and General Services, Rev. Dr John Okwesie Arthur used the occasion to highlight the 2017 Corporate Objectives.

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Corporate News

Kumasi and Sunyani Airports visit New Managing Director interacts with staff Hon. Minister tours airports he Managing Director, Mr John D e k y e m Attafuah, has paid glowing tribute to staff for exhibiting a high sense of maintenance culture. This was in specific reference to a 30 - year old fire tender that was still in operation at the airport.

He solicited the support and co-operation of staff to make his tenure a success.

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Kumasi Airport Project.

This she said, will enable wide-body aircraft such as Boeing 737 to land and take off. She also hinted government's preparedness to expand the aviation industr y to make it more accessible and convenient – a development, she believes, will form the basis for more private investors to join the fray and make the industry competitive.

These remarks were made at a staff engagement session during a familiarization tour of Kumasi Airport with the Hon. Minister of Aviation, Ms. Cecila Dapaah and other officials from the Ghana Airpor ts Company Limited and the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority.

The team inspected the arrival and departure areas, the Rescue and Fire Fighting Service as well as the airside and landside among others.

The phase two project i n c l u d e s t h e construction of a new terminal building, extension of the runway to about 2300 metres w i t h i t s a s s o c i a te d aeronautical ground lighting systems. The new terminal building is expected to handle 800,000 passengers per annum.

The Hon. Minister of Aviation indicated government's commitment to begin the second phase of the

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The Hon. Minister and her entourage later paid a courtesy call on the Ankaase Traditional Council and inspected the Ankaase site, a site reser ved for future airport expansion.

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Corporate News

Kumasi and Sunyani Airports visit New Managing Director interacts with staff Hon. Minister tours airports

Sunyani Airport At Sunyani Airport, the Hon. Minister and her team inspected the runway and witnessed the level of encroachment that had taken place around the airport and indicated that the airport will soon receive a major faceli .

In an interac on with staff, the Managing Director commended staff for the level of cleanliness at the airport and urged them to work in harmony to enable GACL realize its vision.

The delega on later paid a courtesy call on the Odumase 1 & 2 Tradi onal Councils, Nsuatre Tradi onal Council and inspected the Nsuatre site, a proposed airport site.

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Corporate News

Independence day Celebration at kia

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Corporate News

Aviation security Welfare Association swears in new Executives

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he Aviation Security Welfare Association has sworn in New Executives into office. This follows successful elections held by the association.

The Executives include; David Ekpente - President, Regina Osei-Adu - Vice President, George Lamptey - Financial Secretary, Frank Danquah-Treasurer, Matilda Sackitey- Secretary, Charles Boateng - Welfare Officer and Edward Blassey - Organiser.

The association was set up to assist members financially and to foster a good and harmonious working relationship amongst staff.

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Corporate News

Africa Air Expo Re-launched

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he Africa Air Expo event scheduled to take place at KIA on the 24th, 25th and 26th of October, 2017 has been re-launched. The event dubbed “African Air Expo” is an International Aviation Conference and Exhibition to be hosted by the Ghana Airports Company Limited and 4M Events FZ-LLC of Abu Dhabi, UAE. It was originally scheduled to take place in 2014 but was cancelled due to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. It was however rescheduled to October 2016 but was later postponed to October 2017 due to the national elections at the time.

In a speech read on her behalf, the Hon. Minister of Aviation, Ms Cecilia Dapaah, assured the organizers of government's commitment to ensure the event comes off successfully. She said Ghana would use the event as a major catalyst to boost its investment promotion drive to help grow the economy.

The first of its kind in West Africa, the event is expected to bring economic development to the African continent and will attract over 300 exhibitors, 15, 000 Trade Visitors, 150 participating delegates, 600 Journalists & Media and aviation related and aircraft-associated manufacturers and products from all over the world.

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Corporate News

First Quarter Ramp Safety Committee (RSC) Meeting held

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he Ramp Safety Committee has held its first quarter meeting with a walking tour/inspection of the airside.

Handlers, AVSEC, RFFS, Ambulance Services and Construction Contractors.

The role of the team is to facilitate effective local

The Ramp Safety Committee was setup in response to International (ICAO) requirements for airport operators to establish Safety Management Systems (SMS) which are accepted and overseen by their State.

implementation of the recommendations for the prevention/mitigation of FOD (Foreign Objects and Debris), construction activities negatively affecting operations, unsafe operations of serviced ground

The SMS is a systematic approach to managing safety

operations vehicles, wildlife and bird hazards and to

including the necessary organizational structures,

stimulate proactive management of ramp safety, security risks, poor/non

accountabilities, policies and procedures. The system provides GACL Management with a structured set of tools to meet their responsibilities for safety as defined by the regulator – Ghana Civil

The SMS is a systematic approach to managing safety including the necessary organizational structures, accountabilities, policies and procedures.

Aviation Authority.

maintenance of facilities and equipment, risks to airside operations, apron, ULD and e q u i p m e n t pa r k i n g a n d unsafe vehicular movements on airside.

The Ramp Safety Committee is made up of

During the debriefing session, the team discussed

stakeholders who utilize the aerodrome aprons,

series of corrective action points aimed at ensuring

taxiways, service road routes and other movement

the maintenance of a safe, secure and conducive

areas within the airside confines. It also includes but

working environment at KIA.

not limited to Airside Operations, GCAA, Projects Depar tment, Facilities Management, Ground

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Corporate News

Minister of Aviation visits KIA

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he Hon. Minister of Aviation, Ms Cecilia Dapaah has paid a working visit to KIA. The visit was to afford her the opportunity to interact with staff and acquaint herself with operations at the airport.

Some of the areas toured included Terminals 1 & 2, Terminal 3 construction site, Airline Catering Companies and the fuel farms.

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Corporate News

Peer Educators attend Refresher Course

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wenty (20) staff selected from various departments have undergone a four-day workshop for Peer Educators on HIV/AIDS and Counselling.

In a short remark, Robert Tagoe, Director, Human Resources bemoaned the seeming decline in HIV/AIDS advocacy among staff and charged participants to acquire the knowledge and skills required to propagate the message to their peers.

H e f u r t h e r s t r e s s e d o n t h e c o m p a n y 's preparedness to support Peer Educators in their programmes.

The workshop, facilitated by Dr. Dennis Addo and Dr. Alex Quasie from Claron Health International, focused more on prevention intervention, basic facts about HIV/AIDS and STI's, Counselling and Testing, Stress Management, basic skills for educating the community about HIV/AIDS and STI’s, healthy living for a healthy life among others.

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Corporate News

Airport Services & passenger handling course ends

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he Training and Organizational Development Manager, Mrs. Amma Osafo Mensah has admonished staff to exhibit exceptional customer service skills so as to leave a positive impression in the minds of passengers. She made these remarks at the end of a weeklong training p ro g r a m o n A i r p o r t S e r v i c e s a n d Passenger Handling.

The objective of the program was to enable participants improve their knowledge and understanding in customer ser vice, communication skills and customer experience in the aviation industry.

The training facilitator, Mrs. Xpera Chrysa Koykoybinoy Koukouvinou, indicated that the course material was designed to provide participants with the requisite knowledge and skills needed to handle customers in a professional and friendly manner for business success.

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Corporate News

Avsec supervisor’s course ends The objective of the training was to enable participants appreciate the essential roles, duties and responsibilities of AVSEC Supervisors. Participants were also exposed to performance monitoring requirements as well as quality control requirements of AVSEC supervisors.

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nder the auspices of the UK Department of Transport, a one-week training programme has been organized for 20 AVSEC Supervisors.

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At the end of the course, the Instructors expressed satisfaction with the level of participation and were optimistic that the participants will translate the knowledge acquired into real performance on the job.

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Corporate News

Airport Strategic Management with simulation course ends

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h e D i r e c t o r, H u m a n Resources, Mr Robert Tagoe has charged staff to be strategic in their approach to work and life in general.

“Today, strategy is at the heart of everything we do, whether at work or home. We are faced with countless challenges that require swift and timely decision making. This course has therefore been designed to help participants think strategically in the discharge of their duties” he said.

He made these remarks at the closing ceremony of a twoweek training programme on Airport Strategic Management and Business Simulation from February 20th to March 31st 2017.

Oscar Alvarez Robles took participants through business management, financial management, management models and outsourcing, talent management, information technology, pricing strategies, positioning, the airport business environment, airport economics and business concepts among others.

the opportunity to manage an airport by making decisions on type of airport to operate and investments in infrastructure etc. The nature of the simulation was such that whatever decisions the board came up with were fed into a predesigned dashboard that generated results in terms of

Simulation

general performance of the

As par t of the training,

company.

participants were put into groups to, by way of simulation, put into practice the knowledge they had acquired. The groups, also referred to as the

The programme, facilitated by an experienced IATA instructor

“board”, were given

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Corporate News

Workshop on service excellence held A ser vice Excellence Workshop dubbed “Leading Ser vice Excellence” has been organized for a cross-section of Terminal Operations Staff. This is part of efforts to improve the culture of service excellence and service delivery at the airport.

The five-day workshop was aimed at broadening the knowledge and skills of staff by building a business case for customer service improvements and handling various types of customers including difficult ones. The training session was interspersed with role playing and simulation exercises.

At the end of the workshop, participants were inspired and encouraged to be ser vice ambassadors.

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Corporate News

Learning and Development Centre takes off

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he dream of establishing a Learning and Development Centre at Kotoka International Airport has finally become a reality. The Centre, located at the third floor of the newly expanded arrival hall, is designated as an Airports Council International (ACI) Learning venue.

GACL in collaboration with International Air Transport Association (IATA), Airports Council International (ACI) and other industry and educational institutions will organize local and international courses at the centre.

A cross- section of staff had the opportunity to participate in the first training programme to be run at the centre by IATA. The “Airport Master Planning course” was held from January 16 - 20, 2017.

The objective of the course as stipulated by IATA is to: Ÿ Develop a master plan that integrates the strategic objectives of the business Ÿ Apply reliable forecasting to business Ÿ Understand both terminal and airside capacity

management and provide reliable passenger processes and services at the airport Key topics covered include; Airport strategic planning Terminal capacity management Passenger baggage systems Facilitation and security Concession planning among others

Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ

In his remarks, Mr. Robert Tagoe, Director, Human Resources noted the company’s determination to equip staff with the relevant knowledge and skills to enable them discharge their obligations.

He stressed the need for the participants to translate the knowledge acquired into their everyday work as their contribution to make GACL the aviation hub.

The facilitator, Dr. Luigi Guiseppe Sulmona, expressed satisfaction with the facilities at the centre and the participant's level of involvement, dedication and commitment to the course.

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Corporate News

First Quarter FOD Walk Organized

The first quarter FOD walk has taken place at the airside at KIA. Participants drawn from various depar tments in GACL walked the entire length of the runway and the airside in general picking Foreign Object Debris (FOD).

Deputy Managing Director, Operations and Technical, Mr Charles Hanson Adu encouraged participants to endeavor to pa r t i c i pa te i n t h e quarterly walk to help keep the airport environment safe.

In his remarks, the Safety Manager, Mr Edmund Quartey educated staff on the need to keep the airport environment safe and free from debris. The

FOD include all alien substances that could be sucked into aircraf t engines and cause damage. It generally includes substances such

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as bolts, plastic bottles and bags, stones, cans and pieces of wood.

FOD is estimated to cost the aviation industry approximately US$ 13 billion per year whiles airlines lose about $312 through flight delays and damages.

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Corporate News

Capt. Emmanuel Boye-Komeng and Rev. William Gadzegba retire Send-off party held in their honour Capt (GN) Emmanuel Boye-Komeng, former Director, Aviation Security and Rev. William Gadzegba, Human Resources Manager have been honoured at a ceremony at the Fiesta Royal Hotel in Accra.

The send-off party was attended by a cross-section of staff, family members and friends of the retirees.

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Corporate News

GALAC bids Charles Asare farewell

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xecutives and members of the GACL Ladies Club (GALAC) have bid Mr Charles Kwame Asare farewell. At a short ceremony held in his honour, the President of the Club, Mrs Juliet Aboagye-Wiafe, thanked Mr Asare for the invaluable support extended to the club and wished him well in his endeavours.

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In an emotional response, Mr Asare thanked the club for their co-operation over the years and urged staff to lend even greater support to his successor. He took the opportunity to share some of his most memorable experiences during his tenure as Managing Director.

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Corporate News

Local runway safety team tour on-going projects

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he Local Runway Safety Team (LRST) has held its first meeting and toured ongoing project sites at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA). The LRST is a key element in an aerodrome runway safety programme which also dovetails into the overall Safety Management System of an aerodrome.

The establishment of a LRST is intended to facilitate ef fective local implementation of the recommendations for the prevention and mitigation of FOD (Foreign Objects and Debris), construction activities negatively affecting operations, runway incursions and excursions, wildlife and bird hazards and to stimulate proactive management of runway safety and security risks.

The LRS Team also works to ensure effective coordination of all aerodrome internal and external stakeholders and disciplines such as civil aviation authority, air traffic control, airlines, pilots, technical teams, facilities management teams, construction teams, ground handlers, security teams, contractors, airside operations teams, meteorological services, etc.

Some of the sites toured include the current construction projects at the airside: Delta apron, Terminal 3 works and Boarding gates 3 & 4.

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Corporate News

Facilities Department observes (FMCC) awareness month

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t a f f o f t h e Fa c i l i t i e s M a n a g e m e n t Department led by Mr Isaac Owusu – Adjarkwah, Director declared the month of March, the “FMCC” Awareness Month”.

FMCC is an acronym for Facilities Maintenance Coordination Centre. It is a Technical Operations Centre (TOC) for the planning, scheduling and coordinating facilities related work. The purpose of the centre is to bring specialization to the planning, scheduling and coordination of works to attain maintenance excellence.

and enquiries and deal with feedback and complaints related to Facilities Management.

Staff of the department dedicated all Fridays in the month of March 2017 to create awareness about their operations.

The role of the FMCC is to manage information, approve and coordinate action on service requests

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Corporate News

Air France launches direct ights between Accra and Paris

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s part of efforts to increase flight services between Europe and Africa, Air France has launched direct flights from Paris to Kotoka International Airport.

The airline will operate its flights on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays; departing Accra at 22:25hrs and arriving at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris at 06:00am.

The maiden flight touched down at KIA with 178 passengers on-board the Airbus A330.

The Minister of Aviation, Mrs Cecelia Dapaah in her welcome address, said government and the aviation sector regulators are happy to have Air france in Ghana and will extend the needed support to enable them succeed.

The entry of Air France into Ghana's industry is expected to deepen competition and diversity in one of the fastgrowing economic sectors in the country.

Mr Jean-Mac Janaillac, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Air France-KLM indicated that the introduction of direct flights on the Paris-Accra route was the latest step in its long term move to increase its services in Africa. He said the group will leverage on their twin hub of Amsterdam and Paris to offer the best service to travellers.

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Corporate News

Seminar on nancial well-being

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cross-section of staff have participated in a seminar on Financial Well-being at the Learning and Development Centre, KIA.

The purpose of the seminar was to educate staff on the importance of being financially independent.

specific amount of money every month in order to reap huge returns over a prolonged period of time.

This will make them retire comfortably and enjoy their retirement years.

The seminar was facilitated by Mr Joseph Nii Okai Afful of Fidelity Bank.

Participants were advised to set aside some

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Corporate News

AWA welcomes its fth aircraft

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frica World Airlines (AWA) has added a new aircraft (Embraer, ERJ 145) to its existing four.

This brings to five the number of aircraft owned by the company.

The founder of the airline, Togbe Afede XIV, in his statement indicated that AWA will soon expand its services to the sub-region with additional routes to A b i d j a n , A b u j a , D a k a r, Ouagadougou and Freetown.

He said the company's plan of expansion informed the decision to add another aircraft to its fleet.

He indicated that AWA will be adding two new aircraft to its fleet before the end of this year. These aircraft he said, would be bigger in size and

seating capacity and would give customers a new experience.

Since its introduction five years ago, AWA has partnered aircraft manufacturer, Embraer to supply it with airplanes to operate with.

Currently, AWA is the second largest Embraer Regional Jet operator in Africa and has pledged full suppor t by providing more aircraft in the coming years.

In his remarks, the Director, Commercial Services, GACL, Mr Kofi Yeboah, welcomed the arrival of the new aircraft and congratulated AWA on its achievement.

He stated that GACL has invested heavily in airport infrastructure and needs a significant complement of airlines operating to and from KIA and the regional airports.

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KIA welcomes Air Peace

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ptions now abound for passengers plying the Accra- Nigeria route following the introduction of Air Peace, a Nigerianowned airline. Officials of Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL), Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) and Air Peace welcomed the airline from Nigeria.

The decision by the Nigerian domestic carrier to operate the Accra route comes at the time when passenger numbers along the route have increased tremendously. Air Peace will operate daily flights between Lagos and Accra.

The entry of Air Peace is expected to further deepen competition on a route already served by Arik Air and Africa World Airlines.

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Corporate News

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Contacts GACL, KA, PMB 36 Kotoka International Airport Accra - Ghana Tel: 0302 550 612 Fax: 0302 760 981 Kumasi Airport P. O. Box 989 Kumasi - Ghana Tel: 03220 - 22969 Fax: 03220 - 22855 Sunyani Airport P. O. Box 309 Sunyani - Ghana Tel: 03520 - 23436 Fax: 03520 - 23316 Tamale Airport P. O. Box TL 115, Tamale - Ghana Tel: 03720 - 91367

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