Nadzab Tomodachi International Airport

The National Airports Corporation Ltd (NAC) welcomed Air Niugini flights resuming operations as of yesterday. NAC congratulated Air Niugini on the successful transition, marking a significant collaboration with airline operators like PNG Air to enhance passenger services.

Passengers, including Air Niugini passengers, will be processed at the new Nadzab Tomodachi International Terminal. The old terminal will continue to handle cargo processing exclusively for Air Niugini and PNG Air.

Prime Minister James Marape made this opening statement when delivering his speech at the grand opening of the Nadzab Tomodachi International Airport in Lae, Morobe Province, yesterday afternoon. 

Nadzab, in the Wampar LLG of Huon Gulf district, in Morobe Province, was bustling as early as 6am, with sponsors, singsing groups, contractors and volunteers getting ready for the grand opening of the K692 million Nadzab Tomodachi International Airport.

The event is expected to start at 11 am, and will be attended by Prime Minister James Marape, Deputy Prime Minister John Rosso, Morobe Governor Luther Wenge, Huon Gulf MP, Jason Peter, Minister for Transport and Civil Aviation, Walter Schnaubelt, and chief representative from the Japan International Cooperation Agency, Hideaki Matsuoka.

The K750 million Nadzab Airport Redevelopment Project is jointly funded by the Japanese Overseas Development concessional loan (ODA loan) and the Government of Papua New Guinea through budgetary allocation.

When giving a brief overview of the K750 million Nadzab Airport Redevelopment Project, NAC acting managing director, Joseph Tupiri, said the project is 90 percent complete and should conclude by the end of August.

“The project contract was awarded in February 2020, so that’s a few years ago,” Tupiri said.

“Now the whole project is about complete; the terminal is about 90 percent complete.

Minister for Transport and Civil Aviation, Walter Schnaubelt, said this during yesterday’s site visit of the president of the Japan International Cooperation Agency, Professor Tanaka Akihiko.

A plaque bearing the inclusion of “tomodachi”, which means “friend” in Japanese, was unveiled by Minister Schnaubelt and Professor Akihiko, with the JICA president thanking Prime Minister James Marape for approving the name change.