Domestic airline operators have lost about 200,000 cedis due to a strike action by air traffic controllers at the Kotoka International Airport which grounded domestic flights on Saturday morning.
The loss was largely due to refund of air transport fares and it is only the estimated figure two operators, Starbow and Afirca World Airlines (AWA).
According to the CEO of Starbow Airlines, James Eric Antwi, strike actions by civil aviation staff are discomforting to local airline companies noting that his outfit made a loss of almost 150,000 cedis due to the strike action.
“We have cancelled three flights this morning; these included flights to Takoradi and Kumasi. Well, if you talk in terms of money, it will cost between GH¢120, 000 to GH¢150,000…So in terms of money and inconveniences, it’s been very bad,†Mr. Antwi stressed in an interview on Citi FM.
For his part, the Ground Operations Manager at Africa World Airlines (AWA), Rainer Yeboah, indicated that the action had impacted heavily on AWA’s operations.
“We had to refund monies to some passengers who demanded that… some customers were demanding answers why we could not fly them to their respective destinations which of course was also beyond our control", adding, “I cannot give you the actual figures but we are talking of costs in the region of 50,000 cedis.â€
The strike, which followed series of actions by the staff of the GCAA to protest against what they describe as the failure of the aviation authorities to reclaim encroached lands belonging to the authority, has been called off following an intervention by the Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah; Transport Minister, Fiifi Kwetey and Lands and Natural Resources Minister, Nii Osah Mills.
The team urged a suspension of the strike while a meeting between the workers, government officials and management of the GCAA has been scheduled at the Flagstaff House on Monday.
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