Kotoka is safe despite power trip and floods

Abu Mubarik 19:11 - 10 June 2016

The nation’s gateway was without power for several hours leaving passengers stranded. There was also flooding at the arrival hall of the airport.

Thursday’s rains left many parts of Accra without power including the Kotoka International Airport (KIA).

The roads leading in and out of the airport were also flooded following hours of rain on Thursday morning.

In an interview, the corporate communications manager of the Ghana Airport Company, Adwoa Sono told Pulse News, the power cut was simply a power trip at a section of the arrival hall; a problem which was quickly addressed.

This situation has raised border security fears among some citizens following the Brussels airport attack in March 2016. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for that attack which left 32 people and over 300 injured. However, Sono says there is no cause for alarm.

“It was not a total blackout and we brought in our back up plans. The airport was functioning with the exception of that tunnel area where construction work is ongoing...We have a very secure airport...We have people on top of their games here.”

In April, intelligence about a suspected terror attack on the country shared to security agencies was leaked and caused many Ghanaians to panic.

About the flooding; Sono said “we recently had an entire re-roofing of the airport. We are dealing with a very old structure and so sometimes it takes the rain for you to see some of the deficiencies.”

This is not the first time the airport has been without power or has been submerged by flood waters. A Google search shows news reportage from 2013 of this situation.

However Adwoa Sono is assuring passengers that work is continuously ongoing at the airport in a bid to improve service and her outfit would inform the public whenever any significant issues arise.

“Everything is going on well as normal at the airport, that one I can assure you. Few hitches come up from time to time, we manage it and then get it out of the way.”

In March, President Mahama was joined by his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to cut sod for the construction of a new terminal at the airport.

The new terminal will serve five million passengers a year and make the airport a bustling hub for air travel in West Africa.