…Operations threatened by alarming breaches
An explosive internal account from a distressed whistle-blower at the Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL) has revealed a ticking time bomb at the nation’s airport facility.
Conditions are so dire that staff of the Airside Operations Unit are threatening to withdraw their services—an action that could bring airport operations across the country to a complete halt.
Airside Operations, the nerve centre of any airport’s functioning, is reportedly operating under severely compromised conditions that not only endanger the lives of personnel and passengers but could also derail the government’s soon-to-be-launched 24-Hour Economy Policy—and by extension, the national economy.
At the heart of the crisis is the shocking revelation that only one operations vehicle, rather than the four required, is available for all airside activities at Kotoka International Airport (KIA). These vehicles are responsible for critical tasks, including aerodrome and runway inspections, follow-me operations to escort aircraft, and transporting marshallers around the airfield for safe aircraft parking.
“The single vehicle is overstretched and constantly breaks down. When it’s unavailable, officers have no choice but to run across the apron to manually direct aircraft, even during heavy rains,” a staff member recounted, visibly frustrated. “We are soaked to the skin during storms. It’s humiliating and dangerous.”
Even more alarming is the condition of the signalling tools used to guide aircraft. Wands used for night operations and bats used during the day have not been replaced or serviced in over eight years.
“Sometimes the wands go off while we’re guiding an aircraft to park, forcing pilots to wait dangerously long mid-taxi. It’s a disgrace,” another worker lamented.
“We even take broken bats to roadside carpenters for repairs because management won’t replace them.”
Only three pairs of wands are operational currently. With their batteries failing and usage constant, the risk of catastrophic miscommunication during aircraft parking increases daily.
Airside staff have gone years without proper Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). A recent token distribution saw staff receive just one reflective jacket each, rather than the standard three per year, safety boots that did not fit most, and a single pair of ear defenders per person, many of which are defective.
“Our boots are either too small or too big. This is a 24-hour critical environment. People can’t work safely or efficiently under these conditions,” said another visibly agitated officer.
The situation worsens when it comes to communication. Motorola radios used for coordinating operations are mostly unserviceable. Many staff now rely on personal mobile phones to coordinate aircraft movements and conduct safety checks. In some instances, even the dedicated phone lines to the Air Traffic Control (ATC) tower are broken.
“When the radios and phones are down, we sometimes cannot speak to the tower at all. This is a high-risk, high-security zone—we should never be operating blind.”
Despite their responsibility for conducting safety checks across airside, terminal, and landside zones, airside staff are reportedly barred from entering several key areas they are mandated to inspect, including baggage claim and terminal zones. Their ID badges do not provide access, limiting their ability to carry out vital security and safety duties.
“This not only compromises safety standards, it’s a blatant national security risk,” one worker revealed. “We’re being made to look like liabilities in our own line of duty.”
Should the Airside Operations Unit follow through with its plan to down tools—a move quietly gaining momentum—the consequences would be catastrophic. Aircraft cannot land or take off without marshallers, follow-me vehicles, and ongoing runway inspections. The entire airport system could be paralysed.
So far, employees have remained silent out of fear of victimisation. But tensions are reaching a boiling point. With Ghana’s ambitious 24-Hour Economy Policy relying on a seamless and efficient aviation infrastructure, silence at GACL is no longer golden—it is dangerous.
The workers are calling for immediate intervention from the Ministry of Transport, the GACL Board, and the Presidency to investigate the situation and rescue one of the country’s most strategic sectors before it collapses entirely.
“We want to work. We love what we do. But we are being crippled by neglect,” the employees cried. “Please don’t wait until we walk off the job because then it’ll be too late.”
“We urge the Ghana Airports Company Limited and the Ministry of Transport to swiftly address this growing crisis so as not to jeopardise the success of President John Dramani Mahama’s 24-Hour Economy Policy”.
Airport safety is not negotiable. The lives of passengers, the safety of aircraft, Ghana’s international reputation, and the Government’s credibility in global aviation depend on how swiftly these issues are resolved.
