The Parliamentary Select Committee on Roads and Transport has pledged its support for a potential review of the domestic Airport Passenger Service Charge (APSC), following an impassioned appeal from the Managing Director of Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL), Mrs. Yvonne Afriyie Opare, during a recent familiarization visit.
Speaking during the committee’s two-day oversight tour of agencies under the Ministry of Transport, Mrs. Opare lamented that the APSC for domestic flights has remained at GH₵5.00 since 2013, calling the situation “financially unsustainable” and a risk to the future of regional airports.
“Our domestic APSC has been an issue that has persisted over the years. We’ve been at GH¢5.00 for each flight since 2013, which we have been using to support all our regional airports.”
“It is not sustainable. We are relying heavily on the international passenger charges to fund the rest of the airports, and that’s not a long-term solution,” she told the Committee.
She called on the Committee to intervene and support a proposal for an upward adjustment.
Members of the Committee expressed general support for the proposal, acknowledging the need to review the outdated charge to reflect current economic realities and infrastructure needs better.
“Since the price has been GH¢5.00 since 2013, I believe the Committee could ponder over it and see how we could support it so there would be a bit of an increment. If you are charging GH¢10.00 per person and it’s going to a good cause, I don’t think it’s much of a big deal,” a member pointed out.
However, the Committee also emphasized the need for full transparency and clear public communication to justify any increase.
“What worries me is that for over 10 years, we didn’t do anything about this issue. We need to understand why it stayed so low for so long. If we’re going to back this, we must be able to explain it to Ghanaians.”
“In principle, the current charge is very low — something must be done,” the Chairperson Hon. Isaac Adjei Mensah said.
He noted that the committee’s visits to the Ministry and agencies were not intended to witch-hunt, but to validate progress and challenges within the transport sector.
Ranking Member Hon. Kennedy Osei Nyarko (Akim Swedru) echoed support for revisiting the APSC and stressed a bipartisan approach.
“This is not a partisan issue. It’s about the sustainability of our airports. If we allow this situation to persist, we risk deteriorating infrastructure.”
“We’ll take this matter up with the Minister and possibly Cabinet. But any review will have to follow proper procedure under the Fees Act,” he said.
Vice Chairperson Hon. Andrew Chiwitey Dari (Sawla/Tuna/Kalba) reiterated the committee’s non-partisan commitment.
According to him, what is needed is to ensure that Ghana works again adding, “We’re working as a team.”
Hon. Ziedeng Anwataazumo Bede (Lawra), a member of the Committee added that the agencies had cooperated fully and provided a clear picture of both achievements and needs.
“Our interaction with them has been very productive. They have asked for our support to overcome their challenges, and that’s what we intend to do,” he said.
As the monitoring visit for the week concluded at the Ghana Airports Company, the Committee committed to compiling a formal report of its observations and submitting it to the Minister for Transport. A review of the domestic APSC will likely be a key recommendation.
