Transport Ministry to sanction McDan Aviation for defying GACL’s directives

After successfully launching the first-ever private jet terminal at Kotoka International Airport (KIA), McDan Aviation is to be sanctioned by the Transport Ministry for defying the orders of the Ghana Airport Company Limited (GACL).

Yussif Jajah, a member of the Roads and Transport Committee in Parliament revealed that, the sector Minister, Kwaku Ofori Asiamah made this known to the Committee members when he was summoned over the controversies surrounding the operation of McDan Aviation.

He said, he does not foresee McDan Aviation “operating commercially in the next one to two years.”

Jajah told the media that, “as we speak now, he doesn’t have the licence and he’s still now going through the process to acquire it. The Minister says he is going to sanction McDan Industries, at least for defying their orders, and what have you, so a meeting would start next week to see to that.”

He explained fruther that McDan had only three months to operate with his private jet license and “as we speak now, the three months had elapsed.” He noted that, as of now, McDan Aviation does not even have the private jet licence to operate.

“Therefore, the company has to go through the process of not only acquiring a commercial license but all the needed documents to fully operate,” he added.

The Ayawaso North MP explained further: “to acquire it (the license) and per what we were told, it would take more than a year or two to get it.” Jajah further hinted that, McDan Aviation will be summoned to meet the Committee and to also tell his side of the story and answer some questions they have.

He noted that there were some technical and legal challenges that need clarification.

“In documents on one breath, you see the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority or Ghana Airports Company communicating to McDan Shipping Industries, on the other hand, you’d see some communication addressed to McDan Group of Companies, to other communications too, you see McDan Aviation Company. These are technical and legal, and we want to know which company are you dealing with? So these are all things we would have to clarify.”

Background

The GACL had accused McDan Aviation of breaching the laid down procedure after procuring its license to operate in 2019.

It raised concerns in a letter dated Friday, January 28, 2022, which was the scheduled date for the McDan Group of Companies’ Private Jet Service launch at KIA Terminal 1 in Accra.

Despite the directive by GACL for McDan Aviation to call off the event, the company went ahead to launch the private jet terminal.

GACL later ordered the newly launched private jet terminal to be suspended until further notice.

In a letter signed on January 31, by the Managing Director of the Airports Company, Yaw Kwakwa, GACL stated, “we note with concern your failure to comply with the directive despite the outstanding issues on the prior terms and conditions for the use and operations of Terminal 1 as a Private Jet Terminal.”

“Management has consequently directed the suspension of your use of Terminal 1 until further notice.”

McDan Aviation later suspended its activities in a letter to the GACL dated January 31.

McDan explained, “this has become necessary to pave way for us to thoroughly engage your outfit and all the key stakeholders on the way forward.”