Accra, Aug. 1, GNA - The Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) on Wednesday inaugurated two Cobra state-of-the-art crash rescue fire tenders to serve the Kotoka International Airport and its environs. The tenders, valued one million Pounds each posses a water capacity of 12,000 litres with a foam capacity of 1,700 litres. In addition, they are equipped with components such as bumper monitors, under-chassis, nozzles and crash bars.

Ms. Gloria Akuffo, Minister of Aviation inaugurated the tenders and said their durability would depend on how well they were maintained. "If we observe regular maintenance, the cost of keeping these tenders will be reasonable and ensure their efficient use." She said once this was done, "We will use our limited resources for other important purposes." The Minister noted that in recent times, the fire fighting and rescue service unit had become more critical in aviation due to worldwide attacks against the industry. She noted that the rescue and Fire-Fighting Unit of the Ghana Airports Company Limited had undergone a remarkable transformation since its inception under the Department of Civil Aviation. This development had gone beyond its airport functions to other government agencies as well as Ghana's neighbouring countries, she added.

Mr. Simon Allotey, Acting Director General of GCAA said safety and security remains the central pillars of the aviation industry, adding; "We have therefore intensified the development of our human capacity to deal with safety lapses and security threats." He said with an annual passenger growth rate of 12 per cent, which was one of the highest in Africa, Ghana's aviations industry was doing quite well, adding that there was the need for all efforts to put into maintaining that level of progress. He said the GACC was preparing for a search and a rescue exercise at sea, to save of lives in the event of a flight incident and urged all stakeholders in the aviation industry not to relent in their efforts towards improving on the services provided by the industry.