The ‘GHF Susan’ aircraft, named after a 3rd-year STEM student, is designed to serve as an educational tool to enhance practical training for students at the college.

Led by Engineer Ferdinand Sam, a tutor at the school, the team presented the craft to the Air Force on Monday, October 20, 2025.

Mr. Sam expressed gratitude to the authorities at the College for their warm reception and pledged the school’s commitment to working on life-changing projects that will benefit the country.

The Commanding Officer of the College, Wing Commander Ntiamoah, received the model on behalf of the Chief of Air Staff.

Source: Joseph Obeng

The career conference was under the theme: “Empowering the Next Generation of Aviation, Tourism, and Hospitality: Professionals for Sustainable Socio-Economic Development”.

The youth-centered program has the goal of imbibing in the younger generation the requisite knowledge and skills to arouse their interest in the hospitality industry.

CEO of Spotless Aviation and Professional Institute, Mary Asamoah Nyamekye, charged the youth to pursue careers in the hospitality industry due to the bountiful opportunities offered.

“I passed through a lot of hurdles before reaching here but my passion for aviation and tourism kept me going. That is why I want to help the young ones to identify their potential early and aid them to become professionals in the field,” she explained.

With the billions earned yearly as income through the Tourism Arts and Culture Ministry, it has become necessary for the nation to invest in human capital which is the catalyst for driving the growth of the sector.

Ashanti Regional Minister, Simon Osei Mensah, observed the program is in line with upholding the country’s culture, language, food, and clothing.

“It is time to patronize our local products and introduce them to foreigners which can create employment and put money in many pockets. We shouldn’t consider it just as tourism, it entails a lot,” he said.

Madam Abena Boampong, Deputy Ashanti Regional Director of the Ghana Tourism Authority, advised the Ghanaian youth to learn basic hospitality tips that can help build their career in the sector.

“Tourism and hospitality thrive on good character and welcoming faces. You should be able to assist anyone with good morale. Ghanaians have been said to be hospitable, now is the time to show the world”, she stressed.

CEO of Kaya Tours Ghana Limited, Gilbert Abeiku Aggrey Santana, gave participants some keynotes on ways to grow and become successful in the tourism and hospitality industry.

“You need to identify your capabilities and set goals. Maintain good relationships and get a mentor who can help you grow. Make good use of your phone and always strive to give quality service in all you do,” he advised.

The Mayor of Kumasi, Samuel Pyne, also called on the youth to take advantage of such conferences and make purposeful decisions that will positively affect their lives.

Hundreds of government officials, industry players and students from the KNUST, St. Louis Girls School, Afia Kobi Ampem Girls School, Armed Forces Secondary School, Toase Secondary School, and T.I. AMASS among other schools graced the conference.

Students from the Engineering Club of Afia Kobi Ampem Girls School wowed participants with their craft in locally-manufactured aircraft.

The Aserewa Sika Nsuo multipurpose drone is the first flying craft made by Ghanaian Secondary School students.

The teen engineers admonished Ghanaian youth, especially girls, to dispel the myth of engineering being a male course while calling on the government and other philanthropists to offer them financial support to help advance their knowledge.

The regulator said the reduction in charges reflected the recent rebound in passenger numbers, but would still allow the airport to invest.

But Heathrow, which wanted the charges raised, said the move would undermine the delivery of key improvements.

The charges are paid by airlines, but can then be passed onto passengers via airfares.

The fees go towards operating terminals, runways, baggage systems and security.

At the moment, the average charge per passenger at Heathrow is £30.19, and the CAA has said this will fall to £26.31 by 2026. However, Heathrow wanted to increase it to £41.95.

The CAA said the reduction in the charge “reflects expected increases in passenger numbers as the recovery from the pandemic continues and the higher level of the price cap in 2022, which was put in place in 2021 to reflect the challenges from the pandemic at the time”.

In December 2021, Heathrow was given permission to raise the passenger charge from £19.60 to £30.19.

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Richard Moriarty, chief executive of the CAA, said the cut in charges was “about doing the right thing for consumers”.

“Our independent and impartial analysis balances affordable charges for consumers, while allowing Heathrow to make the investment needed for the future.”

However, Heathrow chief executive John Holland-Kaye said the regulator “continues to underestimate what it takes to deliver a good passenger service, both in terms of the level of investment and operating costs required and the fair incentive needed for private investors to finance it”.

“Uncorrected, these elements of the CAA’s proposal will only result in passengers getting a worse experience at Heathrow as investment in service dries up,” he said.

Bryant, 41, and Gianna, 13, were riding in one of his helicopters on their way to his Mamba Sports Academy when the aircraft suddenly crashed into the hillside of Calabasas, Calif.

The seven other passengers John, Keri and Alyssa Altobelli; Christina Mauser; Sarah and Payton Chester; and pilot Ara Zobayan also perished.

Although there are no clear answers as to what led to the fatal crash, reports have noted that the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s and Los Angeles Police departments grounded their choppers on Sunday due to heavy fog.

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Yahoo Lifestyle talked to aviation expert Scott Shappell, PhD, who is a professor of human factors and systems at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and a developer of a system used in human factor investigations worldwide, about what happens during a helicopter crash investigation.

“When you go in and look at an aviation accident, no matter what that accident involves, initially your first reaction is to look for survivors,” explains Shappell, who spent 16 years as an aerospace experimental psychologist with the U.S. Navy. “Then you’re looking for causes. You’re trying to identify what brought the aircraft down.”

Shappell also noted that during the rigorous investigation, officials will look into possible mechanical issues, as well as the background of the pilot, including a detailed history of the individual passenger’s last 72 hours.

“After everything else has been extinguished,” he says, “we start looking at human factors. What was different that day than any other day that the individual may have been flying?’”

Due to helicopters having to fly at a lower altitude and slower speed, inclement weather makes the flight more difficult and even dangerous. Shappell explains that because Zobayan could not see out of his window due to poor visibility, he may have had to follow instrument flight rules, which would have forced Zobayan to rely on his instruments to tell him where he was.

“So the aircraft — Sikorsky aircraft — are [made] very well and very safe,” he says. “The fact that there may be two positions to fly doesn’t require two people to fly. Only one person would have the controls at any one time.”

Still, with little to no information about what caused the crash, Shappell says the most important thing right now is to let the families involved grieve.

“I’ve been around fatal accidents for 25 years, and I’ve talked to people who have lost loved ones,” Shappell tells Yahoo Lifestyle. “It destroys families and those families need our support…this isn’t something that we’ll have an answer for in the next couple days or for that matter, maybe even a couple months.”

He adds: “In the meantime, wrap your arms around your loved ones and be thankful for the day that we have.”

The sector ministry, which is seeking to establish a national airline under a public-private-partnership (PPP) arrangement in order to realize the vision of making Ghana an aviation hub in the sub-region, is compiling the list of proposals for perusal by government’s Economic Management Team.

Aviation Minister, Cecilia Abena Dapaah, told the B&FT that: “We are now compiling the list. We want to establish a new national airline to restore the pride of Ghana in the skies and to provide jobs for our teaming youth. I would like to have more young people working in the industry and with the new national airline.”

Answering a question as to the ownership structure, Ms. Dapaah said: “The Economic Management Team will be in a better opposition to say after looking at the proposals. We will come up with the percentages after that.”

Ms. Dapaah was speaking on the sidelines of a visit to the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA)–the industry regulator– and its subsidiaries in Accra.

For decades, Ghana Airways was the national airline with the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) as its hub. However, the airline — ridden with debt, ceased operations in 2004. Attempts were made to revive its fortunes but to no avail, and in June 2005 the airline was liquidated. The government with the support of private investors then established Ghana International Airlines (GIA). The airline faced difficulties and eventually suspended its operations in May 2010. Some loose ends in the liquidation process are still being tightened.

Ms. Dapaah said the new ‘modest airline’ will focus on operating flights from Accra to other destinations in the sub-region and growing from there.
The airline industry in the West Africa sub-region is growing. However, connectivity gaps still exist due, largely, to a weak aviation policy environment and traffic rights restrictions.

Despite the Yamasukuro decision reached some 20 years ago, to liberalise African skies for African Airlines, there are still restrictions that have limited intra-African flights.The navigational charges on the continent, and specifically the West African sub-region, also remain high.

The challenges notwithstanding, the population of the region presents a great opportunity for any new entrant. With an estimated 350 million people, most of which are under 30years, the region is one of the fastest growing aviation blocs on the continent.

The region is also a fast-emerging middle class. There are people with sizeable disposable income who have the ability to travel.

GCAA decoupling

The GCAA, which is the industry regulator, is also in-charge of Air Navigation Service provision within the Accra Flight Information Region (FIR).

However, the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) has been calling for the separation of the two functions to ensure operational efficiency and improved safety on the continent.

Air navigation service providers (ANSP) provide air traffic management; communications, navigation and surveillance systems; meteorological service for air navigation; and aeronautical information services among others.
Director-General of the GCAA, Simon Allotey told the B&FT that a committee has been constituted to oversee the successful decoupling.

“The Committee has gone very far with its work. Under the terms of reference, they are to ensure the sustainability and viability of both entities after decoupling. We have the sub-committee on finance that is to look at the organograms of both entities to ensure that they are efficient, effective and best address the needs of both entities.

The Committee has been working for the past six months and we have reached a stage where we want a consultant with knowledge of aviation, and the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) to come review the work done by the in-house decoupling committee. They will then finalize the report for on-ward submission to the GCAA board. After that, it will go to the Minister for Aviation for approval.

source:thebftonline