Identifying Your Airport’s Strengths and Weaknesses
It is important for you to know what your airport’s competitive advantages and disadvantages are when pursuing air service. Taking the time and effort to understand your airport’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats can be a key step in the process of air service development (ASD). This can be done by performing a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats (SWOT) analysis. The more detailed and specific the analysis is, the better equipped your airport can be to make decisions regarding ASD as well as communicate these things to the public.
Things to consider when developing an airport SWOT analysis may include:
- Size of catchment area
- Level of business demand or tourism demand
- Major employers in the area that rely on air service
- Historic or projected population or employment growth
- Airport facilities
- Airport rates and charges
- Community support
- Existing marketing efforts
- Funding for improvements
ACRP Report 28 Marketing Guidebook for Small Airports provides guidance on developing a SWOT analysis.
One of the largest weaknesses of many small communities—and the one least visible to airlines — is passenger leakage. Passenger leakage occurs when a traveler bypasses the nearest airport to fly from a competing airport for benefits such as lower prices or better schedules or connection. As part of the SWOT analysis, it is important to understand which factors are driving passenger leakage to competing airports.
Professional consultants are often retained to provide leadership and an unbiased approach to assist in the SWOT process.