News:
January 14, 2026
The Ghana Airport Company Limited (GACL) is actively working to attract more domestic airlines to operate in the country, according to its Managing Director, Mrs. Yvonne Nana Afriyie Opare. She told the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) that increased competition would help drive down the high cost of domestic air travel.
Mrs. Opare identified the current duopoly in the domestic market as a key factor behind expensive ticket prices. “The price of domestic tickets is indeed quite expensive. Unfortunately, it doesn’t lie in the direct domain of the GACL, but is an airline issue. So, what we can do is to engage and appeal for reductions,” she stated.
“Also, because there is a duopoly of domestic carriers, if we are able to get more carriers, the competition will force the prices to go down. We are working on seeing if we can get more carriers to operate in the country,” she added.
While acknowledging that technical and other challenges sometimes affect domestic operations beyond the GACL’s control, Mrs. Opare assured the committee that the company remains committed to improving services for passengers.
New Security Directive on Weapons Declaration
In a separate development, Mrs. Opare highlighted a new security mandate from the Civil Aviation Authority. She stated that all travellers possessing weapons or ammunition—whether licensed or not—must now declare them to the GACL at the airport.
“A person commits an offence when that person carries a weapon or ammunition into an aerodrome or an aircraft for the purposes of travelling without the relevant authorisation or declaration to an air operator,” she explained.
Licensed weapons are permitted to travel with their owners following proper declaration, while unlicensed items are confiscated and handed over to the National Investigative Bureau (NIB). This “weapon declaration policy” was implemented following a recommendation in the 2024 Auditor-General’s report, which came after the interception of over 2,000 weapons and ammunition at airports.
Justification for Service Costs
Addressing concerns about the GACL’s service charges, Mrs. Opare defended the costs as necessary for critical investment. She noted that Ghana ranks about fourth in the region and 15th globally in terms of cost comparability.
“It may be expensive. However, there are some critical infrastructures that we need to implement if we want to see Ghana as an aviation hub,” she asserted. The revenue generated, she said, is being channeled into improving infrastructure and passenger services.
Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com