Kumasi Airport Runway extension to be completed by December – GACL MD | By Dominick Andoh | The ongoing extension of the runway at Prempeh 1 International Airport in Kumasi, otherwise known as the Kumasi International Airport, is to be completed by the end of December 2025.
The existing runway pavement is being extended from 1,981 meters to 2,320 meters to enable the airport to receive other larger commercial aircraft and attract international airlines to the secondary airport.
Managing Director of the Ghana Airports Company Limited, Mrs. Yvonne Nana Afriyie Opare, responding to a question about the ongoing runway extension at the just-concluded GCAA Stakeholder Breakfast meeting held in Accra on Wednesday, June 11, 2025, stated that the contractor is on site and actively working.
“We expect the runway extension from 1,981 meters to 2,320 meters to be completed by the end of the year,” Mrs. Opare said.
The Kotoka International Airport, located in the capital Accra, has been the only international airport in the mineral-rich West African country for over six decades.
The airports operator, Ghana Airports Company Limited (GALC), has spent more than £200 million within the last decade to bring the Prempeh I International Airport in Kumasi and the Tamale International Airport to international standards.
It is part of its strategic plan to open up the two cities and make flying a much more pleasurable experience for travellers, as well as maximize the on-ground infrastructure.
Work on Phase Two (2) of the Kumasi Airport Project, for instance, began in 2018. It included the construction of a new Terminal Building to handle one million passengers per annum, two boarding bridges, a road network, perimeter fence, a substation, and parking lot among others. The terminal building at the facility was inaugurated in May 2024.
Phase three of the Kumasi Airport Expansion Project involves the extension of the existing runway pavement from 1,981 meters to 2,320 meters, construction of new taxi link and two Apron Parking Stands, an Air Traffic Control Building, and a Fire Station among others.
Runway requirements vary based on payload, fuel, airport altitude, and weather conditions. Shorter runways may be usable under reduced weight or favourable conditions, but 2,300 meters is a common minimum threshold for fully loaded wide-body operations.
Narrow-body aircraft like the A320, A321, 737-900, 757, and MAX 10 may require ≥2,300 meters, especially at higher weights or hot/high conditions.
All wide-body aircraft (A330, A350, A380, B767, B777, B787, B747) require ≥2,300 meters under typical loading. Aircraft such as the A220, 737-700, and A319 are well-suited to shorter runways (<2,300 m).
Kumasi Airport Runway extension to be completed by December – GACL MD | AviationGhana
