Gurney airport upgraded facility opened
The National Airports Corporation (NAC), with the support from the Government of Papua New Guinea and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has delivered a state-of-the-art airport to the people of Milne Bay.
The purpose of the Gurney Airport upgrade is to achieve full operational certification and compliance with the National and International Aviation standards, including Standards and Recommended Practices and PNG Aviation rules administered by CASAPNG.
Gurney Airport opening is a significant milestone achievement under the Civil Aviation Development Investment Project 2 (CADIP II) as it is the first among five others to be completed and officially opened.
With its contract value at K76.8mil, the project was officially deemed complete early this month (August) and allowing the open today.
At the opening on Friday, (21st August) in Alotau, Civil Aviation Minister, Douglas Tomuriesa said he's grateful to the CADIP II program for the job well done.
"The Civil Aviation Development Investment Project phase two, thank you for your technical leadership. CADIP II has been the engine behind the upgrading the security, safety and standard.
"Your team has worked closely with the community and has delivered quality programs,” Tomuriesa said.
The work involved in fully completing the Gurney Airport upgrade include; asphalt surfacing of runway, apron and taxiway, construction of new type B terminal building with passenger capacity of 200, Installation of advanced airfield ground lighting systems, Provision of new standby power system, Upgrades to domestic and fire water supply facilities, Development of a new cargo storage facility and construction of NAC staff houses.
The upgraded facility now delivers significant operational and economic benefits including reduced runway and pavement maintenance costs, extended apron capable of accommodating larger aircrafts such as Fokker 100, Boeing 737 and Air Niugini's A220 jets, modern SME kiosks and more efficient passenger processing systems.
The upgraded Gurney Airport facility also features an elevator leading to its VIP lounge on the top floor, making it the first introduced in Milne Bay Province.