The Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) made its first plane landing recently at Sikoi airstrip, which the community spent 28 years building.
Surrounded by endless hills and mountain peaks, the people of Sikoi in Jiwaka Province celebrate as Sikoi airstrip is among five airstrips to be opened in rural areas of the country. Sikoi Airstrip follows the opening of Rum Airstrip in November 2023, Yakona and Dimanbil in October 2023 and Aiyu in September 2023.
Youth of Sikoi danced and older people shed tears of joy, waving their Bibles as they celebrated what is to them, the only way out of isolation.
According to MAF, the people of Sikoi took the initiative to build their airstrip using bush materials knowing that it is the only means of reliable transportation for them and their children to access basic services. Since PNG’s independence in 1975, generations at Sikoi have missed out on education and healthcare because the community is impossible to reach by road.
"We haven't had any teachers, schools, health centres or healthcare workers here since 1975, not even an educated individual from our village,” said local leader Enn Gandi.
“However, this day signifies a new beginning of Sikoi, and we acknowledge MAF and RAA (Rural Airstrip Agency) for bridging the gap that has been there for so long.
After villagers spent years working on the airstrip with their bare hands, the RAA were able to do a thorough risk assessment and approve the Sikoi airstrip as operational.
Tim Neufeld, the MAF pilot who tested the landing, said he felt privileged and humbled to experience the reaction of the people of Sikoi when the plane landed.
“It is the embodiment of what MAF is all about, and that is to find the isolated people and connect them to the rest of the world. Sikoi is a very isolated community, but I’m very grateful to see the real impact come to them,” Tim said.
Tim was accompanied by the Manager of Technical Services for the RAA, an RAA field supervisor and a surveyor who participated in the risk assessment test landing