Royal Senkye Airport Royal Senkye Airport is on the western end of the Atimpoku, a small island located off the Akosombo
Posted: Wed Apr 27, 2022 11:54 am
Royal Senkye Airport Royal Senkye Airport is on the western end
of the Atimpoku, a small island located off the Akosombo road. The
area has been designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It
has agricultural and tourism industries, but tourism is its main
business activity, Royal Senkye Airport’s Importance to the
Island’s Economy Royal Senkye Airport is one of two airfields
functioning in the area, the other being a grass airstrip at nearby
Kpong. Royal Senkye has a tarmac runway, but this is not large
enough to handle commercial passenger aircraft, so the airport’s
main trade comes from light aircraft. The airfield also has a
gliding club on its south side, and offers facilities for groups of
pilots. Pilots fly into Royal Senkye to sample the local Lake food,
enjoy walks along the cliffs, and to see the Dodi island from
the air. Relatively few pilots stay overnight, but the airfield can
accommodate visiting aircraft and provide parking space if
necessary. In common with other small airfields, Royal Senkye has a
wide variety of different enterprises on-site. It has a cafe (which
is popular with non-flying visitors as well as pilots), it offers
hangar space for private aircraft, and it encourages private pilots
to fly in to visit the Dodi Island itself. Fuel sales offer another
source of revenue. Royal Senkye also promotes local events such as
the Yam Festival. Local Competition Competition can be strong, with
pilots having a lot of choices of where to fly to, and even though
the cost of the flight might run into hundreds of Ghana Cedis, a
Five-Cedi difference in the landing fee might be enough to make a
pilot choose another airfield. Rival airfield Kpong Sandown
represents direct competition. Kpong Sandown has a grass runway,
and can therefore be adversely affected by heavy rain. It also has
fewer facilities, especially after a disastrous fire destroyed its
restaurant and clubroom in 2013. However, Kpong Sandown hosts the
annual “Fly-Home” for LIGHT aircraft, a major event in the Ghana
aviation calendar. Light aircraft are cheap to buy and operate, so
the sport attracts many people with relatively low incomes. Kpong
Sandown charges around GHC100 per aircraft to land, so Royal Senkye
competes by charging microlights only GHC75. Larger aircraft pay
progressively greater amounts, but fees remain relatively low.
Sources of Potential Problems People living near airfields often
complain about the noise from aircraft, and some airfields have
been forced to close because of this. Flying is seasonal and
extremely weather-dependent. Bad weather means that there will be
no visiting aircraft, consequently no landing fees and few people
using the restaurant. Civil Aviation safety regulations are often
tiring. Despite this, Royal Senkye still manages to be a popular
and successful destination. REQUIRED: B. Recommend how Royal Senkye
Airport can build upon TWO opportunities and address TWO threats
arising from its business environment. (10Marks
of the Atimpoku, a small island located off the Akosombo road. The
area has been designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It
has agricultural and tourism industries, but tourism is its main
business activity, Royal Senkye Airport’s Importance to the
Island’s Economy Royal Senkye Airport is one of two airfields
functioning in the area, the other being a grass airstrip at nearby
Kpong. Royal Senkye has a tarmac runway, but this is not large
enough to handle commercial passenger aircraft, so the airport’s
main trade comes from light aircraft. The airfield also has a
gliding club on its south side, and offers facilities for groups of
pilots. Pilots fly into Royal Senkye to sample the local Lake food,
enjoy walks along the cliffs, and to see the Dodi island from
the air. Relatively few pilots stay overnight, but the airfield can
accommodate visiting aircraft and provide parking space if
necessary. In common with other small airfields, Royal Senkye has a
wide variety of different enterprises on-site. It has a cafe (which
is popular with non-flying visitors as well as pilots), it offers
hangar space for private aircraft, and it encourages private pilots
to fly in to visit the Dodi Island itself. Fuel sales offer another
source of revenue. Royal Senkye also promotes local events such as
the Yam Festival. Local Competition Competition can be strong, with
pilots having a lot of choices of where to fly to, and even though
the cost of the flight might run into hundreds of Ghana Cedis, a
Five-Cedi difference in the landing fee might be enough to make a
pilot choose another airfield. Rival airfield Kpong Sandown
represents direct competition. Kpong Sandown has a grass runway,
and can therefore be adversely affected by heavy rain. It also has
fewer facilities, especially after a disastrous fire destroyed its
restaurant and clubroom in 2013. However, Kpong Sandown hosts the
annual “Fly-Home” for LIGHT aircraft, a major event in the Ghana
aviation calendar. Light aircraft are cheap to buy and operate, so
the sport attracts many people with relatively low incomes. Kpong
Sandown charges around GHC100 per aircraft to land, so Royal Senkye
competes by charging microlights only GHC75. Larger aircraft pay
progressively greater amounts, but fees remain relatively low.
Sources of Potential Problems People living near airfields often
complain about the noise from aircraft, and some airfields have
been forced to close because of this. Flying is seasonal and
extremely weather-dependent. Bad weather means that there will be
no visiting aircraft, consequently no landing fees and few people
using the restaurant. Civil Aviation safety regulations are often
tiring. Despite this, Royal Senkye still manages to be a popular
and successful destination. REQUIRED: B. Recommend how Royal Senkye
Airport can build upon TWO opportunities and address TWO threats
arising from its business environment. (10Marks