Kumasi International Airport (IATA: KMS) located in Kumasi, the capital city of Ashanti, Ghana, is operated by the Government of Ghana.
The airport offers international and domestic aviation services to passengers in the Ashanti region and nearby areas. It is regarded as one of the busiest international airports in the country.
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Known for its regional airline operations, the airport is undergoing an expansion to transform it into a full-fledged international airport.
The expansion project forms part of the multi-modal transportation system being developed by the government to enhance tourism in the Ashanti Region.
The airport has witnessed a steady rise in passenger traffic over the recent years. The expansion will also serve the growing demand by adding capacity to serve international passengers.
Kumasi International Airport expansion project details
The expansion project at Kumasi International Airport is being carried out in two phases. A $29m rehabilitation project was carried out under phase one by December 2014. Aeronautical ground lighting systems were installed and the existing runway was rehabilitated under the project.
Ground-breaking for the €66.35m ($75.23m) second phase of the expansion project was held in November 2018. Phase two involves construction of a new passenger terminal and multiple service facilities at the airport. The new terminal will have the capacity to handle more than one million passengers a year upon its completion.
The existing runway will be extended from the current length of 1,981m to 2,300m, enabling the airport to accommodate wide-body aircraft such as Boeing 737-800.
An additional apron area and associated taxiway will also be constructed as part of the project by the second half of 2020.
Existing facilities at the airport
Kumasi International Airport currently features a single terminal and a runway. Built in December 1993, the existing terminal is used for both international and domestic arrivals and departures. It features security checkpoints, retail and commercial spaces, and parking areas.
The single asphalt-paved runway, designated as Runway 02/20, has a length of 6,502ft (1,981m) and a width of 148ft (45m).
The landing and take-off distances of the runway are 6,502ft (1,981m) and 7,242ft (2,207m) respectively. The overrun length is 740ft (226m) and the load bearing capacity is 15t.
Kumasi International Airport history
The construction of Kumasi airport was approved in 1940 and operations were started in 1943. Airside operations at the airport were streamlined by the Ghanaian government with a series of development activities carried out on the runway between 1958 and 1959.
The airport underwent main renovations such as installation of lights on the taxiway and extension of the runway southwards during the 1970s.
Further lighting system installation, runway extension, and construction of a new terminal building were completed by 1993 under a modernisation project, which also involved installation of VHF omni-directional range (VOR) and distance measuring equipment (DME).
The airport served as a military base until it was converted into a domestic airport in 1999. It was declared as an international airport in 2003.
