for Fiji’s Nausori airport

A black star (for danger) for Fiji’s Nausori airport

Nausori airport in Fiji, along with two other South Pacific airports re ceived a “black star” rating in a re port issued by the International Airline Pilots’ Association. A black star designates an airfield as “cri tically deficient”. It is the worst of three ratings orange, red and black.

The other South Pacific airports which qualify for the dubious black star rating are Fua’amotu, near Nukualofa, and Tafuna in American Samoa. Tafuna is an international airport. Nausori and Fua’amotu, although handling international flights, mainly BACI 1 Is between Fiji and Auckland, via Tonga, are classed as regional airports.

Twenty-six airports throughout the world received the black star rating in the January report. Black star listings often convince govern ments of the need to upgrade airport facilities.

This is what the pilots said about Nausori; “Navigation aids are unservicea ble and unreliable. The runway is narrow and not strong enough for modern aircraft. There are pools of water on the runway after heavy rain, frequent reports of livestock wandering in the airport area and lighting and navigation aids are in adequate.”

The report was also critical of the fire-fighting facilities, saying they were inadequate. All airports near the sea should have amphibious craft, but Nausori did not have one.

The pilots’ criticism about wan dering livestock is no longer valid as a stockproof fence has been con structed round the airfield (thanks to the recent royal tour). Navigation aids have also been improved, and the runway is being upgraded. Pilots and civil aviation authorities in Fiji hope that Nausori’s black star rating will be removed by the middle of 1977.

It is doubtful, however, if any body will ever be able to do any thing about flooding at Nausori air port, unless at great cost. The actual site of the airport is known as Luvuluvu. It is beside the tidal lower reaches of the Rewa River, and during flooding is invariably

under water. Luvuluvu is a Fijian word related to flooding. As the Fi jians have been there for hundreds of years it is fair to presume they did not give it such a tag without good reason.

The main rqnway at Nausori is 100 ft (30.5 metres) wide, and does not reach International Civil Avia tion Organisations standards. The runway, which is 6000 ft (1828 metres) long, should be 150 ft (45.7 metres) wide, and should have shoulders of 25 ft (7.6 metres). The shoulders are 20 ft (6J metres).

Captain John Childs, president of the Fiji Airline Pilots’ Association, agrees that the runway is narrow, but says it is not an uncommon fault.

It was possibly dangerous at Nausori only when combined with other fac tors. If an aircraft ran off the runway it could get stuck in swamp and mud, which would prevent crash ve hicles, such as fire engines, reaching it.

Mr M. Varley, the Fiji Director of Civil Aviation, says there are plans to improve the drainage, but it is not worth investing a large sum of money to mhke it a 100% jet air field, although it had to be ungraded to ensure adequate levels of safety were maintained.

Nausori should be looked on as a feeder airport for the excellent air port at Nadi, Mr Varley said. Later, it might be better to build an airport nearer Suva.

Proposals for an airport closer to Suva have been aired many times in the past. One suggestion was for a runway running alongside Suva Point with aircraft taking off and landing over the sea, rather than in land. Today’s cost and the state of the Fiji economy would make such a

project impossible.

Captain Childs said members of his association were concerned about Fua’amotu, which was eight miles (12.9 km) from Nukualofa.

Weather forecasting was inaccurate and had put pilots in “com promising situations”. The trouble was that the forecaster compiled his information in Nukualofa, and it was not necessarily the same weather as at the airport.