Vice President of IMANI Africa, Kofi Bentil
McDan opens private jet terminal
Read full article Ghana Airport Company suspends operations of McDan’s private jet terminal
Senior executives failed, Kofi Bentil
Vice President of IMANI Africa, Kofi Bentil, has called for the sacking of senior executive members of both Civil Authority and Ghana Airport Company Limited (GACL).
According to him, they failed to ensure that McDan Aviation goes through the necessary procedures before inaugurating its private jet terminal.
He stated that it is the duty of the GACL to keep track of all activities that go on in Kotoka International Airport.
His comment follows a statement from GACL that McDan Aviation breached safety protocols, hence, its shutdown days after the launch of the private jet terminal.
"It was the job of the Ghana Civil Authority to make sure that Kotoka International Airport is properly rated, to make sure that the Ghana Airports Company does not go into arrangements that compromise the airport. Clearly, the Ghana Civil Authority has not been able to do that. McDan cannot just get up and go and start construction at an Airport that is internationally rated. He is a businessman, he does not have time, he wants his things done quickly, I will give him room for that. It is for Airport Company to keep track of his activities
“It means that all the senior executives there should let go of their duties because they basically get a situation where someone who is doing legitimate business and seeking to respect the law, I have seen the effort he has made to respect the law, was able to go ahead and breach the security of the Kotoka International Airport
"You shouldn’t keep a job if you are doing that,” the vice president of IMANI Africa said on News File monitored by GhanaWeb on Saturday, February 12.
Kofi Bentil noted that the actions or inactions of these senior executives could have cost Kotoka International Airport its international reputation if there were any breaches.
He stressed that businessman, McDan on his part is doing legitimate business and therefore should not be blamed for the sack of Yaw Kwakwa.
"I have seen documents about dates and times, list of people who will access this place, etc. It is the Airport Company of Ghana that should have done that under the Ghana Civil Authority. If they didn’t do it the McDan procedure, I will not fault McDan. It is bold business. They will come into conflict with government and regulation. That is why the law is behind the regulator but in this case, the regulators failed. Ghana Airport Company failed, Ghana Civil Aviation failed.
“To the extent that it was when he said he was going to inaugurate that they found out that certain things were untoward. If Kotoka is downgraded, more people will lose their jobs. If someone sneaks in and plants a bomb, on some plane because of some construction that was going on, the whole Ghana will gain international reputation for the wrong reasons.
“McDan is doing his legitimate business, I have seen evidence that he made efforts to comply. I don’t see how he would have forced his way and disrespected authorities, I think this was a failure of the government systems, specifically, Civil Aviation Authority and Airport Company to properly manage this arrangement," Kofi Bentil added.
Meanwhile, Member of Parliament for Ningo-Prampram, Sam Nartey George, has averred that the sacking of the Managing Director of Ghana Airports Company Limited, Yaw Kwakwa was a case of power play.
It would be recalled that on February 1, 2022, the Ghana Airport Company Limited suspended the operations of McDan Aviation.
The suspension follows McDan Aviation's inability to halt its inauguration ceremony of the terminal on Friday, January 28, 2022.
In a letter signed on January 31, 2022 by the Managing Director of GACL, Yaw Kwakwa, it said, “We note with concern, your failure to comply with the directive despite the outstanding issues on the prior terms and conditions for the use and operations of Terminal 1 as a Private Jet Terminal. Management has consequently directed the suspension of your use of Terminal 1 until further notice.”