Accra, Sept. 19, GNA- PassionAir, a domestic airline operator, Monday morning landed the first commercial flight at the Sunyani Airport from Accra after six years of closure.
Flight OP132 touched down at the Sunyani Airport in the Bono Region at about 1010 hours.
The journey from Accra took about 45 minutes.
The Sunyani Airport was on August 3, 2022, inaugurated by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo after the completion of the first phase of rehabilitation works at the Airport.
The Airport is envisaged to open up trade and tourism in the area.
Monday’s inaugural flight by PassionAir marked the official resumption of domestic operations at the Airport.
It was a moment of joy and celebration for the chiefs and people of Sunyani, especially children when the first commercial aircraft landed at the Airport.
Tens of people jostled one another in a desperate attempt to board the flight and take memorable pictures.
Madam Justina Owusu-Banahene, the Bono Regional Minister, described the occasion as « momentous. »
She said the resumption of operations would promote commercial activities and tourism in the region and beyond.
“The reopening has come in at an opportune time …. I hold a strong belief that the air and road transport systems will complement each other to accelerate the economic growth of the region, » Ms Owusu-Banahene said.
Mr Kwaku Ofori Asiamah, the Minister of Transport, appealed to the residents to patronise the services.
Mr Samuel Ato Hagan, Managing Director, Passion Air, said the rising cost of aviation fuel and the depreciation of the cedi had taken a toll on domestic airline operators, undermining their economic recovery after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mr Hagan said the price of aviation fuel had increased by 112 per cent since the beginning of the year.
“The airline industry is an important contributor towards economic development and must be protected,” he said.
Okokyeredom Sakyi Ako II, the Paramount Chief of Drobo Traditional Area, appealed to the Government to dualise the Sunyani Airport road to ease traffic flow and uplift the image of the Airport.
The Sunyani Airport dates back to the Second World War in 1942, when it was used as an airstrip for the Allied Forces. In 1969, the then Busia Government initiated work to convert the airstrip into an airport, and was completed and opened on 13th July 1974.
The Airport was, however, shut down in 2016 due to its deplorable nature. Rehabilitation works commenced in 2019 and the first phase of the project was completed in August 2022.
