McDan Aviation Limited has accused the Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL) of breaching contractual obligations and disregarding judicial processes following actions that the company says were aimed at shutting down its operations at Terminal 1 of the Accra International Airport.
The company, a subsidiary of the McDan Group, said it had invested millions of dollars in developing Ghana’s first privately operated Fixed Base Operation (FBO) terminal to support business aviation services.
In a statement issued on March 12, McDan Aviation said the facility, which began operations under a license agreement signed in August 2022, had helped position Ghana as a premium aviation hub while supporting private aviation, tourism and investment inflows.
However, the company said recent actions by GACL threaten the future of the business and undermine contractual and legal processes.
“McDan Aviation invested millions of dollars to develop Ghana’s first private FBO terminal at the Accra International Airport’s Terminal 1,” the company said, adding that the investment had contributed to strengthening Ghana’s position in the global business aviation market.
The company acknowledged that it had experienced a delay in rent payments but described the situation as temporary and already resolved.
“McDan Aviation experienced a brief payment delay triggered by operational challenges amid the current global business crisis. This temporary delay was fully rectified, with all outstanding amounts settled in good faith,” the statement said.
The firm further argued that the situation had been mischaracterised as a fundamental breach of contract.
“To characterize this brief administrative matter as a fundamental breach of contract does not reflect the reality of our longstanding partnership with the Ghana Airports Company Limited or our commitment to meeting our financial obligations,” the company stated.
McDan Aviation also accused GACL of failing to comply with a contractual provision requiring a 90-day notice before eviction from the facility.
According to the company, the agreement governing its operations at Terminal 1 explicitly requires the airport operator to issue a 90-day notice before taking any steps to remove the company from the premises.
“By failing to give the required period of notice, GACL has willfully violated this fundamental contractual requirement,” the company said.
The dispute escalated after McDan Aviation said GACL officials entered the facility despite a pending court process.
The company stated that GACL had been formally served with a motion for an interlocutory injunction on March 10, 2026. It alleged that officials from the airport authority subsequently entered the premises in the early hours of March 11.
“On March 11 at approximately 1:00 a.m., GACL officials forcibly entered the terminal and removed valuable equipment and property belonging to McDan Aviation in clear and deliberate defiance of the injunctive process served on them,” the company alleged.
McDan Aviation said it is pursuing legal remedies to challenge what it describes as the unlawful termination of its license agreement and breach of contractual rights.
The company also called on stakeholders in Ghana’s aviation industry to support the rule of law and protect local investment in the sector.
“As a wholly Ghanaian enterprise under the McDan Group, we remain dedicated to collaboration, national development, and the advancement of Ghana’s aviation sector,” the company said.
The dispute adds a new dimension to tensions surrounding operations at Terminal 1 of the Accra International Airport, a facility that has been central to efforts to expand business aviation services in Ghana.
