The closure of McDan Aviation’s private jet terminal at Kotoka International Airport over a $3 million debt has raised concerns about potential economic and reputational fallout, with the company’s CEO warning of significant impacts on Ghana’s tourism image and a broader ecosystem of businesses.

Speaking on Eyewitness News on Monday, December 30, 2024, the CEO of McDan Aviation underscored the ripple effects of the terminal’s shutdown, highlighting the financial and reputational damage it poses to various stakeholders.

He emphasized that the Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL), which benefits from royalties from the terminal’s operations, also stands to incur financial losses.

Additionally, the CEO expressed concern that the closure undermines government efforts to position Ghana as a premier tourism destination in the region.

“The problem is that this goes beyond us. It will affect us in the way we do business. It will also affect our reputation, but beyond us, so many vendors work for us. Some people supply to us, people who clean, provide catering services and it affects all those people.

“So, there is a cascading effect and beyond them is the airport company themselves. Ghana Airport Company is due royalty from us based on the revenues we get from the terminal. So, the longer we get shut down, they also lose money. But it’s not just financial losses that this has an impact on. It also has reputational damage to the country.

“Imagine, you travel on a private jet into a private terminal and you hear on the news that the terminal is shut down. What kind of impression would you get about that country? It is the same issue we are having here. When these things happen, the reputation damage is not just to us, it is a whole ecosystem of people that it affects.

“Beyond that, it also impacts the country as a tourism hub. The government has put in a lot of effort to make Ghana the tourism destination of choice for tourists and that is going to be affected,” he stated.