Civil Aviation Authority Acquires New Equipment

The Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) has acquired $2.3 million worth of communication, navigational and surveillance equipment to meet the ever-changing safety needs in the aviation industry.

They are the Dopler Very High Frequency Omni-Range (DVOR) and the Distance Measuring Equipment which are used for air navigation services and have an incorporated Aeronautical Terminal Information System (ATIS) which broadcasts vital aeronautical information, such as weather and airport situational awareness, among other things.

The others are the Automatic Dependence Surveillance Contract/Controller Pilot Data Link Communication (ADSC-CPDLC), which enables air traffic controllers to communicate with pilots over a data link system, and the Automatic Weather Observation System, which has been installed at the Meteorological Department to provide accurate weather conditions to aircraft.

The inauguration of the three equipment in Accra yesterday coincided with the celebration of the 67th International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Day which falls on December 7, every year.

In an address, the Minister for Transport, Alhaji Collins Dauda, said the aviation industry in Ghana would always stand tall in the midst of other aviation giants in the West African sub-region and the world at large.

He said as an authority that was required to provide regulatory oversight, facilities and services for air transportation in Ghana, the GCAA’s technical, operational and financial records over the past decade or so spoke for themselves.

He said the time when air traffic controllers faced a number of challenges as a result of the lack of radar coverage in the remote and oceanic regions of Accra was over with the installation of the ADSC-CPDLC and other equipment.

Alhaji Dauda assured the workers of the GCAA of the government’s continuous support in providing safety oversight responsibility in the Accra Flight Information Region (FIR) to ensure that all airlines operated in maximum safety and security.

The Director-General of the GCAA, Air Commodore Kwame Mamphey, said the ICAO Day was established in 1994 through an assembly resolution to mark the 50th anniversary of the organisation which created on December 7, 1944.

He said the annual celebration was to establish and reinforce world-wide awareness of the importance of international civil aviation in the socio-economic development of states and the role of the ICAO in promoting the safety, efficiency and regularity of international air transport.

He said Ghana was acknowledged all over the world as the aviation hub of West Africa, adding that that did not happen by chance but as a result of some of the prudent policies, decisions and investments that had been made and still continued to be pursued.

Air Commodore Mamphey said in an attempt to sustain global air transport, the GCAA, in collaboration with the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and the ICAO, was to implement flexible routes in the continental and oceanic regions, and the aim was to enable flights to use flexible routes, instead of conventional fixed routes, and aided by wind direction to save fuel and reduce the emissions of CO2.

He said apart from investing in equipment and technology, the GCAA was also clear on its vision and mission to become a world-class aviation regulator and provider of air navigation services, adding that currently 17 air traffic controlling and 20 electronic engineering trainees were under training as part of plans to ensure adequate human capital at all times and ensure an effective career succession plan.

According to him, there was so much confidence in the Accra FIR that day by day many airlines were applying to do business in Ghana, while the domestic front was booming with new airlines.

Air Commodore Mamphey gave the assurance that the GCAA would continue to nurture the domestic airlines and encourage interested operators to extend their operations to cover the West African sub-region.