The renovated Sunyani airport is finally back in operation, after more than 6 years of closure
Due to the poor state of its infrastructure and the deplorable state of its runway, Sunyani airport in central Ghana has been closed to traffic since March 2016. Its rehabilitation finally began two years later, but the work has been delayed several times, pushing back the delivery date of phase I.
After missed appointments in October 2020, May and October 2021, the Ghanaian President finally inaugurated Phase I of the Sunyani Airport rehabilitation project on Wednesday 3 August 2022. "The rehabilitation of this airport is a key part of the government's vision to expand the frontiers of the aviation industry in the country, and realise the dream of making Ghana an aviation hub in West Africa," said Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
The works included the rehabilitation and extension of the runway (from 1,280 to 1,400 metres, with a width of 45 metres); the repair of the apron, to accommodate small and medium-sized aircraft; the renovation of the terminal building; and the construction of some internal roads at the airport. This first phase, completed a few days ago, cost 48.6 million cedis ($8.4 million). Closed since March 2016, the airport is expected to be operational again first, before the eventual launch of phase II.
"The existence of Sunyani Airport dates back to the Second World War in 1942, when it was used as a landing strip for Allied forces. In 1969, the then far-sighted government of Busia (Kofi Abrefa Busia, Prime Minister of Ghana from 1969 to 1972), realising the need for an airport at Sunyani, started construction work to convert the airstrip into an airport. The airport was completed and officially opened on 13 July 1974 by Colonel PK Agyekum, the then Commissioner for Transport and Communications," explains the Ghanaian Presidency.
Unlike Sunyani airport, others in the country are still under construction. Phases II and III of Kumasi Airport are currently about 93% complete, while Phase II of Tamale Airport is 95% complet
