Aropa airport to undergo major upgrade

Prime Minister James Marape arrived this morning at the Aropa airport in Central Bougainville. The Prime Minister was accompanied by government ministers and officials for the groundbreaking ceremony of the Aropa airport. (NBC News)

The Aropa Airport in Kieta Central Bougainville is set for major upgrade works that will improve its function.

Prime Minister James Marape, National Capital District Governor Powes Parkop, Transport and Civil Aviation Minister Wake Goi including Police Minister and Regional Member for Bougainville Peter Tsiamalili Jnr have arrived in Kieta this morning from Port Moresby to witness the ground breaking ceremony of Aropa Airport .

Without much delay, the event got underway, accompanied by a police guard of honor and a traditional welcome by the locals, who were received by ABG President Ishmael Toroama, ABG Minister for Community Government and member for Ioro constituency, Theonilla Roka Matbob, and others.

The Prime Minister was honored with the Bougainville traditional welcome of feet washing on his arrival at Aropa today (NBC News)

The ground breaking ceremony follows the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding [MoU] in October 2024 between the Autonomous Bougainville Government and the National Airports Corporation to give a much needed facelift to the infrastructure.

A statement by the Acting Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the NAC, Dominic Kaumu, says Aropa has been in dire need of these improvements more than a decade ago, and that this development coincides with the National Government’s plans under the Medium Term Development Plan IV to boost connectivity and economic growth in the region.

The redevelopment and upgrade work at Aropa will be carried out by the China Railway Construction Group Company Limited, at a cost of over K58m.

Details of the work will include aircraft pavement repair and strengthening, bitumen chip seal resurfacing, construction of new terminal building and car-park facilities, installation of new Precision Approach Path Indicator or PAPI lights, and provision of new airport power and water supply, sewerage and electrical systems and other works.

Aerial view of Aropa airport (Image: Supplied)

Once completed, the infrastructure will have a five to ten years coat chip seal lifespan without major maintenance, modern airport terminal building with improved passenger processing turnaround time, job opportunities for locals among others.

Aropa airport is among five other airports in the country which will be upgraded under CADIP 2 project including Gurney in Milne Bay, Kiunga in Western, Hoskins in West New Britain and Wewak in East Sepik provinces.

The implementation phase of the project will take two years and four months with project completion anticipated by 2027.