Wa Airstrip to begin full operations before September ending
All things being equal, the Wa airstrip will open to full flight services before the end of next month, officials of the Ghana Airport Company (GAC) have said.
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Even though just under 60 per cent of rehabilitation works had been completed, Mr Kwaw Solomon-Ayeh, the resident engineer with the GAC, told the Daily Graphic that the remaining works could still be completed by the scheduled date of September 15 handover date.
As of last Friday, the major work yet to be undertaken at the airside of the airport was the runway marking, while repairs on sections of the fence were the only notable works yet to be done.
Otherwise, work at the moment has been concentrated on the passenger terminal which is nearing completion.
"We have had to work over the weekends and extend working hours beyond day time to ensure that we meet the schedule," Mr Solomon-Ayeh said.
Quality runway condition
The Wa Airport's two-kilometre runway - longer than the 1.9-kilometre runway of the Kumasi Airport - did not need rehabilitation works because of its good quality surface, Mr Solomon-Ayeh said.
Indeed, with its 2km runway which has a 40-metre width, the airport is favourable for up to Code C aircraft - that is Boeing 737-700 Airbus/Airbus A-320/Embraer ERJ 190-100.
The contract for the rehabilitation of the Wa Airstrip has been awarded to Messrs Skill Link Limited, and spans March 14, 2016 and September 15, 2016.
The rehabilitation works were necessitated by the government's intent to open up the Upper West Region for commercial flight services to reduce travel time through air route as a means of boosting commerce and business in the region.
The contract involves the rehabilitation of a section of the new GAC building into a passenger terminal building, construction of access road to the airport, fencing works to define the boundaries of the airport, fixing drainage works to control erosion at the airstrip and fixing runway markings to improve upon visual aids.
Encroachment
The main GAC building, which houses the passenger terminal, was a single storey facility previously owned and occupied by the Upper West Regional office of the Centre for National Culture.
Sources hinted the Daily Graphic that the building, which is situated on the land of the airport, had since been taken over by the GAC, although the arrangement and circumstances of the transfer of ownership are still not clear.
It was also not clear what will happen to other properties, including a supposed hotel facility still under construction, which appears to have been built on part of the the airport land.
Last Friday, workers were busily fixing the departure hall of the passenger terminal where a snack bar, washrooms (including one for the disabled), the manager's office, a scanner, a VIP space and counters for operating airlines are among facilities to be provided.
Except for a five-metre space of the road on the airside which was being refixed last Friday, access roads at the aerodrome had virtually been completed.
