The announcement last week by Passion Airline of suspending its operations from Ho to Accra did not go down well with a cross-section of residents in the Ho municipality of the Volta Region.
After the suspension, it attracted some reactions, which were captured by the Ghanaian Times yesterday.
Mr. Divine Bosson, Ho Municipal Chief Executive, noted that it was very disappointing for the airline to take such a decision at the time that people’s interest was growing.
According to him, he had personally taken the airline several times from Ho to Accra for meetings,and to transact business and had seen the difference between going by road and air.
He said the airline should have continued to dialogue with stakeholders and work together for the collective objective of Passion Air to be realised.
Going forward, he said the airline must be prepared to engage with its stakeholders to explain issues pertaining to its operations and listen to the concerns in order to better its lot.
For now, he suggested that the Ho Airport could be used for refueling and a repair centre so that the investment made there would not go waste.
On his part, Mr James Gunu, Volta Regional Secretary of National Democratic Congress (NDC) appreciated the concerns raised, adding “these concerns must not be swept under the carpet, we need as a region to take introspection and something must be done about it.”
He said during the construction of the project some people did not see the need for an airport in Ho.
According to him, a lot of investments had been put into the project and it must not go waste.
“We need as a region to quickly call a stakeholders meeting to see how to bring the airport back to life,” Mr. Gunu stated.
He noted that the marketing and advertising department of Passion Air operations were not heightened well, so a lot of people were not aware of their operations.
“Volta Region is becoming a tourism hub, and with the Ho Airport a lot of tourists will be attracted to the region and this can improve the local economy,” MrGunu added.
It will be recalled that management of Passion Air last week suspended its operation to Ho due to low patronage, rising cost of fuel due to world events, depreciation of the local currency against the US dollar and the requirement of Ghana Airports Company Limited to build an office in Ho.
Passion Air became the first domestic operator to offer scheduled flights between Accra and Ho in an attempt to open that part of the country and boost tourism.