Allied Air Crash would not affect efforts to regain FAA Cat 1 status- DG-GCAA

Accra, June 11, GNA- Air Commodore (Rtd) Kwame Mamphey, Director General, Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), says Ghana's quest to regain the FAA Category 1 status is on course despite the accident involving the crash of the Allied Air Cargo plane.

Speaking in an interview with the GNA, Air Commodore Mamphey stressed, “I don't believe the accident would in any way mar our reputation in the aviation industry” adding that the GCAA would continue to pursue the highest levels of safety and security in Ghana aviation.

According to him, FAA had earlier conducted a technical review and identified some gaps in procedures which the GCAA had come up with an action plan to address. “When we are ready, we would then invite the FAA for the audit” he said.

He noted that it was important to wait for the report of the Accident Investigation Committee on the crash, in order to determine probable causes of the accident and that based on the report, the GCAA would improve safety in areas where there was the need to.

On recent calls for the relocation of the KIA due to its location in the city centre, said there was the need to think of a future relocation of the airport but agreed with the Minister of Transport, Alhaji Collins Dauda, who had earlier stated that the location of the airport was not enough reason for its relocation, citing the fact that other international airports were located in city centres.

A Boeing 727-200 with registration 5NBJN operating from Lagos to Accra overshot the runway on landing at 7:10pm, June 2, and went through the airport perimeter fence before hitting trotro plying the Giffard road killing all passengers on board.

GNA