Air transport still safest – GCAA

THE Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) has called on the travelling public, especially patrons of air transport, not to be discouraged by the recent plane crashes that killed 10 people in the country and several others in other countries recently.

The Director-General of the authority, Air Cadre Kwame Mamphey (Rtd), who gave the appeal in an interview, said despite the happenings, air transport still remained the safest among all the other means of transport in the country

“That crash was an unfortunate incident and the GCAA grieves with the victims’ families and friends.

Air Cdre Kwame Mamphey, DG, GCAA

“But it should not discourage our country men and women from travelling by air because air transport is still the safest means among the rest,” the DG said.

On Saturday, June 2, ten persons died on the spot when a cargo flight belonging to Nigeria-based Allied Airlines crashed into a passenger vehicle near the El-Wal Sports Stadium in Accra while struggling to land.

Although all four crew members of the Boeing 727-200 were reported to have sustained some injuries, all persons on board the commercial vehicle died.

Barely a day after Ghana’s crash, reports had it that a Boeing MD-83 also operated by Dana Air in Nigeria ploughed into a printing works and residential building in neighbouring Nigeria killing about 153 people including the crew members, all passengers on the plane and others in the buildings at the time of the incident.

Similar crashes have also been reported in other countries of late where causalities are said to have been recorded.

An air transport patron and staff of the Graphic Communications Group Limited said of the crashes that “these incidents are really worrying. They raise questions over one’s safety while up in the flight.”

However genuine those fears may be, the DG of the GCAA said travelling by air still remains the safest, fastest and most comfortable means of transport.

“I don’t want to compare this crash to other incidents on the road or even compare the two because people already know what happens on our roads almost every day,” Air Cadre Mamphey said.

He further assured the travelling public of the authority’s resolve to ensure passenger and crew safety at all times.

“Safety has been our hallmark and that is what we will be working at achieving. The public should be rest assured that the GCAA is up to the task as it has always being in ensuring that there is safety in the air always,” he added.

Read more insightful aviation stories and articles on a special supplement on the aviation industry in our June 26 edition.