Govt will sustain gains in aviation industry
The Minister of Transport, Ms Dzifa Aku Attivor, has cautioned that the government will not countenance any activity that will derail the gains the country has so far made in the aviation sector.
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She said with the increasing domestic and international demands on the aviation industry, it was pertinent for all parties to commit themselves to maintaining Ghana as the leader in aviation safety in the sub-region.
The transport minister was speaking at the inauguration of the Aviation Safety Inspectors Association of Ghana (AVSIAG), an umbrella body of all safety inspectors in the aviation sector in Accra.
The association brought together safety inspectors of all categories under one umbrella—Airworthiness Inspectors, Flight Operations Inspectors, Security Inspectors, Personnel Licensing Inspectors, Aerodrome Standards Inspectors and Air Navigation Services Inspectors, as their roles in ensuring safety in the aviation industry could not be underestimated.
The inspectors’ tasks also include ensuring that cockpit crew, flight attendants, dispatchers, aircraft maintenance engineers and air traffic controllers were appropriately trained at approved aviation training organisations.
Ms Attivor called on members of the association to focus on attaining their stated goals and not to act as a pressure group on the government and management.
“While acknowledging a promising future for civil aviation in Ghana and the need for expansion in aviation infrastructure, it is important that our attention is drawn to the ever-increasing challenge of sustaining or possibly achieving better safety record,” she noted.
She added that the Ministry of Transport recognised the need for greater collaboration among stakeholders on one hand and between stakeholders and the government on the other.
According to her, the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) has always maintained a firm stance on the need for well-qualified, trained and motivated safety and security inspectors to discharge their duties above mentioned tasks.
For his part, Air Commodore Kwame Mamphey (Retd), Director General of the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), commended members of the association for their hard work and dedication.
He commended them for the establishment of the association and assured them that the GCAA would support AVSIAG in ensuring safety in Ghana’s aviation industry.
Air Commodore Mamphey stated that the surge in airlines operating to Accra did not happen by chance but by dint of hard work and dedication exhibited by the safety inspectors that had earned Ghana’s airspace the reputation of being safe.
He also expressed confidence in the fact that Ghana’s quest to regain the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) Category One status, which will allow Ghanaian registered airlines to operate in the United States, would be achieved by the dedication of safety inspectors.
Mr Nolasco Nyidu, Chairman of the association, explained that the AVSIAG had been born out of a strong passion for aviation safety and growth; hence, its Motto: ‘Aviation Safety, our Passion.’
According to him, the association represents the entire fraternity of aviation professionals: pilots, aircraft engineers, air traffic controllers, air traffic safety engineers, flight dispatchers, aircraft cabin crew, airport civil/electrical engineers, aviation security officers, aviation meteorologists and aviation fire and rescue officers.
He said although indications suggested a promising outlook for the aviation industry, with more flights operating on international and domestic routes, all the good things about civil aviation would elude Ghana if there were no effective regulation or strict safety oversight of the industry by the state as required by ICAO.
“Without a good safety record or assurance of safety, air transportation cannot be attractive as the preferred means of travelling. In this regard, the aviation safety inspectors are pleased to note that Ghana has put in place world-standard civil aviation legislative instruments to regulate all sectors of the country’s civil aviation system,” he stated.
By Mary Mensah/Ghana