Obstacles not planes
p. 85 · Read in the full issue
on Lae's new runway
Plans for a new airport at Nadzab (up the Markham Valley road outside of Lae) may be shelved if the Papua New Guinea Government can b e persuaded that other projects should have priority. A suggestion to post pone starting work on the new air port has been made by the Coombs Task Force, Australian Prime Minis ter Gough Whitlam’s bunch of ex perts on whose recommendations the 1973-74 Budget was based.
The plan, approved by Parliament in October, 1972, is to provide a new airport, including runway, taxiway and apron works, roads, car parks, engineering services and terminal buildings, plus operations and main tenance accommodation.
The cost has been put at $l.B mil lion for 1973-74, $1.9 million in
1974-75 and $150,000 in 1975-76.
The airport will be one of Aust ralia’s contributions to developing PNG transport facilities.
The existing airport at Lae is suit able only for medium-range aircraft and daylight operations. Other draw backs are a noise problem, especially for the local hospital, and the lack of available land for developing an cillary services. The airport’s critics also allege that it is interfering with the “orderly development of the town.”
Apart from these problems at the existing site, the task force pointed out, it was argued in support of the new project that, in time, Lae would become the second major centre in Papua New Guinea and would need a first class aerodrome.