Okokyeredom Sakyi Ako II, the Vice president of Bono Regional House of Chiefs (BRHCs) on Tuesday assured the House was taking possible steps to ensure the completion of the Sunyani Airport rehabilitation project.
He said the House would meet in consultation with the Lands Commission, Ghana Civil Aviation Authority, the Management of Ghana Airports Company Limited, the traditional authorities co-sharing the airport’s land, and the Sunyani Municipal and Sunyani West Municipal Assemblies to identify possible solutions to challenges impeding the speedy completion of the project.
Okokyeredom Ako II, who is also the Paramount Chief of Drobo Traditional Area in the Jaman South Municipality of Bono Region gave the assurance after a media inspection tour of the airport by a delegation of BRHC led by him in Sunyani.
The Airport’s rehabilitation started somewhere in 2019 and was expected to be completed within six months.
The tour was thus to enable the House to ascertain the extent of challenges that had delayed the completion of the project and how best to assist for its completion.
He said the project had reached 90 per cent completion stage but the major challenge was the encroachers who have erected structures very close to the airport runway, saying the roofing of those buildings could cause reflection to airplanes and therefore increase the risk of landing.
According to him, the Airport runway required a massive and very wide space to operate and that had necessitated the collaboration of authorities to find means of addressing the issue of buildings supposed to be demolished.
Okokyeredom Ako II stated after the engagement of stakeholders through series of investigations and fact findings, the affected houses would be demolished.
He warned the law would deal with any recalcitrant landlord/landlady who would refuse to relocate alongside persons involved in the allocation of those plots of lands.
Okokyeredom Ako II commended the government for the project and the determination to give the Sunyani Airport a phase lift to make air travel more attractive for prospective passengers in the Bono Region and the country at large.
Mr. Maxwell Yeboah, the Airport Manager said by October 2021 the project would have been completed for the commencement of air travel operations to boost economic activities in the three regions of Bono, Bono East, and Ahafo.
