Nadzab Airport upgrade set

THE Nadzab Airport in Lae will be upgraded to an international airport next year following the signing of a K692 million contract last Friday.
Officials of the Japanese construction company DNC-Nippon Joint Venture and the National Airport Corporation (NAC) signed the contract witnessed by Civil Aviation Minister Lekwa Gure, Transport Minister William Samb and Japanese Ambassador Satoshi Nakajima.
The airport project is being funded by a K578 million loan from the Japanese government, plus K114 million from the Government.
NAC acting managing director Ephraim Wasem thanked the Japanese government for the funding.
He said such investment would facilitate social economic growth.
Nadzab Airport will become the second biggest airport to Port Moresby’s Jackson international airport.
NAC engineer Gebo Henao said safety and security would be a priority in the project.
“The project would ensure that the airport meets safety and security certification requirements as well as enhancing operational efficiency and process in time,” he said.
“The airport will also meet the current and future demand of passengers travelling by air.”
Gure said he had confidence in Japanese quality as the most modernised and developed country to upgrade Nadzab as an international airport.
However, he urged Dai Nippon Construction to engage local engineers in the designing of the airport.