Photo Credit: Post Courier
Since 2014, the Civil Aviation Development Investment Program (CADIP), which is conducted by the National Airports Corporation, has been giving the Vanimo airport in West Sepik Province a substantial facelift.
Aside from the continuing new infrastructure projects at the airport, the construction of a new terminal building is expected to finish in November.
The new terminal accompanies a 300-meter runway expansion that was just completed.
The new runway, which was finished in November 2020, is 1960 meters long and allows unrestricted operations of Fokker 100 or comparable aircraft.
China Railway Construction Engineering Group Co Ltd was awarded this project in November 2018, and work began on April 4, 2019.
The new airport terminal will cost K23.6 million to build and is expected to be finished in October 2021.
The total cost of the project, which includes the runway expansion and the new terminal, is K59.6 million.
The new terminal was developed by China Railway, which is also rebuilding the Kavieng airport in New Ireland Province, and so has a track record in the construction industry.
According to the Economic Internal Rate of Returns (EIRR) analysis on the Tranche 2 and Tranche 3 projects under CADIP, Vanimo, as the gateway to the PNG-Indonesian border, the improved airport facilities will result in an increase in the number of flights and the number of people engaging in tourism and business activities in the province.
The facility will have a VIP lounge, departure lounge, passenger check-in desks, arrival lounge with luggage conveyor belt, baggage screening machines, and restroom facilities, to mention a few.
The new terminal will be larger, with a holding capacity of more than 100 people, than the previous terminal, which was built more than 30 years ago and was relatively tiny, with a holding capacity of just 30 people, and has since deteriorated.
Despite the obstacles provided by COVID-19 and other circumstances over the last year, work on the new terminal has progressed at an outstanding rate.
Reference:
Post-Courier (29 June 2021). “Vanimo Airport Gets K59.6 Million Facelift”.
