Takoradi Airport

Takoradi Airport Takoradi Air Base
IATA: TKD ICAO: DGTK
Summary
Airport type	Military
Owner	Ghana Air Force
Operator	Ghana Air Force
Location	Takoradi, Western Region
Elevation AMSL	22 ft / 6.7056 m
Coordinates	04°53′45″N 001°46′29″W
Map
TKD Location in Ghana
Runways
Direction Length Surface m ft 03/21 1,751 5,745 Asphalt
Source: DAFIF[1][2] Runway 21 has a 200 metres (656 ft) displaced threshold.[3]

Takoradi Airport (IATA: TKD, ICAO: DGTK) is an airport in Sekondi-Takoradi, a city and capital of Western Region southern Ghana.[1][2] It is the fourth busiest airport in Ghana, with 123,930 passengers in 2022.[4][5]

History

Second World War: Takoradi air route

During World War II, the United States Army Air Forces Air Transport Command Trans-Africa Ferry Route, was a major transportation link between the Atlantic Ocean port of Lagos in Nigeria, and the Sudan. This was one of the main routes for Lend-Lease aircraft sent to Russia, and other supplies sent to British forces in Egypt and the Middle East. The route had been pioneered in 1936 by Imperial Airways, but was dramatically expanded during the war.[6]

Takoradi Airport was a major refueling stop between Robertsfield, the airport the U.S. built to serve Liberia's capital Monrovia, and Apapa Airport, Nigeria. Takoradi Airport was used as a Royal Air Force station known as "RAF Takoradi", where crated aircraft, that had been shipped over the Atlantic, were assembled prior to being flown to operational areas in North Africa. 26 Squadron SAAF was also based in Takoradi during World War II flying Vickers Wellington bombers on anti-submarine and convoy protection patrols over the Atlantic. A number of South African Air Force airmen are buried in the Takoradi European Public cemetery adjoining the Airport.

Airlines and destinations

Africa World Airlines Embraer ERJ-145 at Takoradi Airport

Scheduled flights

Scheduled air services from Takoradi Airport are provided by:

Airlines	Destinations
Africa World Airlines	Accra^[citation needed]
Passion Air	Accra ^[citation needed]

Offshore support

Takoradi Airport serves as the primary shore base for helicopter transfer to offshore oil platforms in Ghana's Jubilee Oil Field.[7]

Military

Ghana Air Force's 1 Squadron operating Harbin Z-9H and Flight Training School (FTS) operating Diamond DA-42 are based out of Takoradi Air Base.[8]

Accidents and incidents

• On 24 April 1969, Douglas C-47A 9G-AAF of Ghana Airways crashed on approach to Takoradi Airport, killing one passenger of the 33 passengers and crew. The aircraft was operating a domestic scheduled passenger flight from Kotoka Airport, Accra.[9]
• On 8 May 2014, a Eurocopter AS365 Dauphin helicopter operated for Volta River Aviation crashed off the coast of the Western Region en route from Takoradi Airport to the Jack Ryan oil rig. Four out of the eight persons on board were killed in the accident. The investigation revealed that an oil leak had resulted in a fire on board.[10]

References

1. "Airport information for DGTK". World Aero Data. Archived from the original on 5 March 2019. Data current as of October 2006. Source: DAFIF.
2. Airport information for TKD at Great Circle Mapper. Source: DAFIF (effective October 2006).
3. Google Maps - Takoradi RWY 22
4. "Traffic Statistics - Domestic per airport" (PDF). Ghana Civil Aviation Authority. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
5. "Traffic Statistics - Domestic per airport" (PDF). Ghana Civil Aviation Authority. Retrieved 28 March 2022.
6. I.C.B Dear, ed, The Oxford Companion to World War II (1995) p 1099
7. https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/52108564.pdf ^[dead link‍]
8. "Ghana's air force in a class of its own | Times Aerospace".
9. "9G-AAF Accident Description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 9 February 2011.
10. "Accident Aérospatiale SA 365N Dauphin 2 TU-HAA, 08 May 2014".

External links

• Current weather for DGTK at NOAA/NWS
• Accident history for TKD at Aviation Safety Network