The planned pilot training academy at the Ho Airport, which has been in the offing for the past nine years, will take off before the end of this year.

This will come with a maintenance repair overhaul (MRO) hanger, cabin crew and technicians’ training sections.

The Founder of the Africa World Airlines (AWA), Togbe Afede XIV, gave the assurance yesterday after he took part in a tour of the proposed site for the academy with the Volta Regional

Minister, James Gunu, and the Managing Director (MD) of the Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL), Yvonne Nana Afriyie Opare, and other officials of GACL and AWA.

“Between six to eight months, we must take off,” Togbe Afede affirmed.

He said the facility which would be a sterling asset not only for the Volta Region and the country, but also to the rest of Africa.

The traditional ruler and business executive said the project would be implemented as quickly as possible.

Togbe Afede, who is the Agbogbomefia of Asogli, said there was a general shortage in aircraft maintenance capacity worldwide, hence the academy at the Ho Airport would definitely help to fill that gap.

“We have excellent collaborations in the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States of America (USA) with experts, and our certification for the project would meet European standards,” he said.

For a start, Togbe Afede said two small aircraft would be at the airport for the training of the pilots.

He gave an assurance that the academy would keep the cost of the training programmes low to facilitate the training of more pilots.

The regional minister said the project was dear to heart of the Volta Regional Coordinating Council, for which reason resources and zeal would be committed to its total success.

Mr Gunu said the partnership between AWA on the one hand and the GACL and Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) on the other, was immense and re-assuring of the success of the pilot training academy.

“Clearly, this forms part of the agenda to reset Ghana,” Mr Gunu added.

He called on corporate bodies and public-spirited individuals to support the “the legacy” project, which he said would definitely lift the tourism and hospitality sectors to astonishing heights in the region and beyond, in addition to creating massive jobs for the youth.                                     

MD of GACL

The MD of GACL affirmed that the project would be implemented quickly as it held great importance in the country’s aviation industry.

“Already, we are seeking to develop all our regional airports into viable business entities, and the Ho Airport has high prospects from that move,” Mrs Opare added.

She said GACL and AWA would benefit mutually and immensely from the pilot training academy and the accompanying units.