The Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL) has decided to suspend its plans to implement a $20 round-trip passenger fee following intense scrutiny from the parliamentary session. The decision to suspend the fee came after the Minister of Transport, Kwaku Ofori Asiamah, was summoned to address concerns regarding the legality of the proposed charge.
The parliamentary summons was prompted by objections raised by the Minority Caucus, who argued that the GACL lacked the authority to impose such a fee without proper justification and parliamentary approval. Haruna Iddrisu, the Member of Parliament for Tamale South, specifically questioned the involvement of the Minister, suggesting potential collusion between him and the GACL.
In response to the parliamentary summons and the growing public concern, the GACL issued a statement on Thursday, March 14th, clarifying that discussions regarding the proposed fee were ongoing with relevant stakeholders, including the Airline Operators Committee (AOC), the Board of Airline Representatives Ghana, and the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
The statement further mentioned that all discussions on the proposed fee would be put on hold by the GACL. Any future decisions regarding the fee would be communicated to stakeholders by the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
