Vanuatu Weekly

New tower for Bauerfield

Construction work on a new control tower at Bauerfield Air port outside Port Vila in Vanuatu is scheduled to begin in January and is expected to be completed by the end of the year. The Forum Secretariat in Suva is doing the architectural design. The new tower will cost approximately US$l.4 million.

Although a new tower at Bauerfield was in the pipeline way back, a fire on September 11 has put more urgency on the work. The early morning fire des troyed the control tower, and equipment

and machinery in the building. While in vestigation was made into the cause of the fire, Australia and New Zealand jointly went into the rescue, provided equipment and put up a temporary tow er at the airport.

Normally work on the new tower should take four to five months. The delay is expected to be caused by an anticipated late arrival of equipment.

The Forum Secretariat’s plan for a new Bauerfield Airport tower is part of a project planned before the fire to up grade facilities at five international air ports in the Pacific Islands. Work on all the airports is expected to take 18 months and cost approximately US$7 million. □

Vanuatu Weekly

Burnt out: the Bauerfield Airport control tower after the fire.