The Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL) has firmly denied allegations that two foreign aircraft which landed at Kotoka International Airport in March 2025 were involved in drug trafficking or illicit financial operations. In a press statement issued on Monday, GACL clarified that comprehensive security checks conducted by Aviation Security personnel and operatives from Ghana’s National Security found no traces of narcotics or unaccounted cash aboard either aircraft. The planes involved were identified as an AirMed medical evacuation jet, registered N823AM, and a Cavok Air Antonov An-12B cargo plane.
The statement was issued in response to claims made by Reverend John Ntim Fordjour, Ranking Member of Parliament’s Defence and Interior Committee. He had alleged that the aircraft were used to smuggle cocaine and large sums of money from Ghana to Gran Canaria, Spain.
GACL stressed that the issuance of landing permits for all inbound aircraft falls under the jurisdiction of the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) and National Security, not the Airports Company. Ground handling services for both flights were managed by Swissport, a certified aviation logistics firm.
Addressing additional rumors, GACL categorically denied any personal or professional ties between its Managing Director, Yvonne Nana Afriyie Opare, and Reverend Fordjour. “The Managing Director does not know, has never met, or communicated with the MP,” the statement read.
The company warned that it would not hesitate to pursue legal action against any individual or organization spreading what it described as “baseless, defamatory, and mischievous” information intended to mislead the public or tarnish its reputation. GACL concluded by urging the public to treat the allegations with the “utter contempt they deserve,” reaffirming its commitment to upholding security and transparency at Ghana’s international airports.
