Experts in the aviation industry have warned of looming danger over the encroachment and construction of high rise buildings on aviation lands by private estate developers.
According to experts, lives of flight passengers are in danger as signals from the control towers of the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) are being blocked by buildings put up by the private estate developers.
Workers of the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) for some weeks now have been clamouring and even embarked on a short industrial strike on October 14, to demand for the demolishing of buildings on the encroached aviation lands by the private developers.
Speaking to the media after the short strike action, Spokesperson for the Coalition of GCAA workers, William Amoako, noted that a signal jam experienced by the Air Navigation Services (ANS), the during a return trip by President Akufo-Addo necessitated the strike action.
In an interview, Dr Andrew Anane Akutu, a former Chairman of the National Population Council, noted that building on the aviation lands – East Legon, Ashaley Botwe and La Wireless – have been dangerously constructed under flight approach paths and called for owners of the buildings to be prosecuted for doing so.
Also speaking on the matter to the media, Dr Issaka Yakubu Akparibo, an aviation analyst at the Airport City expressed concerns over the development, noting that structures above 500 ft and close to airports poses danger to aircrafts as they interfere with aircraft landing.
Meanwhile, information available to norvanreports suggests that the Minister in charge of the sector may be only buying time, as those interested in grabbing the aviation lands are way above him. The lands which used to be over 90 acres was reduced to a little over 60 acres when some part was used to construct the AU village. But even after taking away some parts of the lands for governmental projects, its believed that current developments on the lands are being done with the permission of Lands Commission, another government agency. This is what the staff of GCAA is fighting over and triggered the strike.
It is important to point out that, taking over lands where navigational aids are located and subsequent developments of same into whatever will lead to a plane crush someday as these constructions interfere with the communications between the Air Traffic Controllers ATC and the aircrafts.
At norvanreports, we know and are aware of the fact that is there are no roads in the sky and many planes are moving in different directions within the airspace and the only means of controlling is through the ATC.
Ghana today due to the hard work of the staff of the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority have been able to build their Air Navigation Capacity and Efficiency which has given us the control of the Accra flight information region FIR which means we control over the airspace from Niamey into the Gulf of Guinea, Angola, Sao Tome & Principe and Equatorial Guinea. Sometimes these ATC officers in Accra even control the airspace of North Nigeria
Why on earth will we want to have construction close to the Air Traffic controllers which will interfere their ability to direct planes to the right directions.
Minister for Roads and Highways, Kwesi Amoako-Atta, earlier this year ordered for the demolition of high rise buildings in on aviation lands particularly, buildings at East Legon as the Minister noted the buildings did not have permits to undertake the construction.
The Minister vowed to demolish all buildings on that stretch of the aviation land, but is yet to deliver on his promise as private developers continue to build on the lands and so close to the airport.
In a related development, the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources have denied allegations by workers of the GCAA of conniving with the Lands Commission to sell aviation lands to the private estate developers.
