Photo credit: Pisai Gumar
The Nadzab airport redevelopment project, which is valued at K750 million, is nearing completion, with an official launching ceremony scheduled for September 16, Papua New Guinea's 48th Independence anniversary. The project is currently between 80 and 90 percent complete and will cater to a variety of aircraft, including Fokker 100, Boeing B737, and B777 200.
During a recent inspection of the new Nadzab Tomodachi International Airport, Lae MP and Deputy Prime Minister John Rosso praised the project's high standard, crediting the use of Japanese technologies and workmanship. He noted that the visit of Japanese International Cooperation Agency President Professor Akihiko Tanaka and his delegation to inspect various infrastructure projects they funded was historic as Japan was the first development partner since PNG's independence in 1975.
Rosso highlighted the significance of the project for the people of Morobe, stating that building a new international airport in the province was long overdue. He said, "It will now ease traveling domestically and internationally, as well as boosting business opportunities in the province and injecting funds into the local economy."
Namatanai MP and Minister for Transport and Civil Aviation, Walter Schnaubelt, revealed that the Nadzab Tomodachi International Airport's redevelopment is jointly funded by the Japanese Overseas Development concessional loan and the PNG government's budgetary allocation. He emphasized the airport's importance in connecting people from three regions in the country, stating that it will significantly enhance the roles of Nadzab and Lae as economic hubs, promoting social and economic development in the region and the nation.
Schnaubelt credited the low-cost financing provided by JICA for the development of a world-class airport that would serve as a catalyst for economic
