Rural Airstrip Agency

MP John Amuli said fixing all the airstrips in the districts is currently his number one priority.

The presentation was done yesterday (Aug 8) in Port Moresby by Amuli to Rural Airstrip Agency’s government liaison officer, Winsome Nenewa.

“We released the first K90,000 to the Rural Airstrip Agency for Ioma Airstrip,” stated Amuli.

“After Ioma Airstrip will be Asimba Airstrip followed by Tetebedi, Kira and Emo.”

Yoma Airstrip is in the sub-district of Tamata. The last time a commercial flight landed on that airstrip was 20 years ago.

Four airstrips will now undergo RAA’s restoration and maintenance program beginning this year.

These airstrips are Wanikepa, Kopiago, Fugwa and Auwi.

The MOA was signed by RAA CEO, John Bromley, and KKDDA Chairman Johnson Tigi last Friday, May 4, in Port Moresby.

On hand to witness the occasion was the local MP and Minister for Immigration and Border Security, Petrus Thomas.

Thomas said the partnership is very timely and will serve those remote areas and cover all four LLGs in the district.

This was recently highlighted when Rural Airstrip Agency CEO, John Bromley, was invited to the Republic of the Union of Myanmar to provide advice on the development of rural airstrips in the country of 54 million people.

Two state of Myanmar officials had initially visited PNG and were impressed by the RAA rural airstrip program, hence the invite.

Myanmar has 69 airports listed, many of them paved but most of them closed.

They suffer from the same problems that airstrips in PNG once suffered from.

That was revealed in Parliament this morning by the Minister for Civil Aviation Davis Steven. He was responding to questions asked by Goilala MP William Samb.

The Goilala Electorate in Central Province is mountainous and airstrips play an important part in service delivery because it does not have a road link.

Samb acknowledged the establishment of Rural Airstrip Agency to fix the many airstrips in his electorate but question if Government had plans to encourage airlines to operate on those routes.

This is why there is a huge need for aviation safety to become a top priority, both in domestic and international policy making.

Civil Aviation Minister Davis Steven highlights these as among the many challenges that face the aviation industry, including increasing concern over the environmental impact of aviation overall.

His remarks were made this morning at the opening of a high level aviation safety and security conference taking place at the Gazelle International in Kokopo, East New Britain.