Accra (GreaterAccra), 18 Jan. ’99 –
A two-man team of aviation security experts from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) of the US are in the country to conduct an inspection of aeronautical and navigational aids as well as security facilities at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA). The two, who will be in Accra for one week, will ensure that security standards achieved by the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) which earned it “the category one status” of the FAA, are maintained and improved upon. The experts are Mr. Edward Jones, Assistant Manager, Security Division responsible for Africa, Europe and Middle East and Miss Angela Brown, a security specialist. At a meeting, Wing Commander Andy Mensah, Director General, said the GCAA, will not compromise on its safety and security standards stressing that the visit will enhance the continuous improvement, safety and security status of KIA. He assured the experts that phase two of KIA’s development project involving infrastructure, modification and expansion as well as the installation of modern security equipment will soon commence. Mr. Rob Merrigan of the US Embassy in Accra praised GCAA for the security measures put in place during the visit of President Bill Clinton. He said the upgrading of KIA from category three to category one is an achievement which has gained GCAA recognition and should be emulated by other African countries adding “Ghana is a place that pilots feel safe to land”. Mr. Jones recalled the impression of the Vice-President of the US National Transportation Board, Mr. Bob Francis, about the navigational aids and facilities at the KIA which enabled a KLM pilot to have confidence to do an automatic landing.
