Terminal depicts PNG culture

 IN the lead-up to the official opening of Mt Hagen’s Kagamuga new international terminal late last year, landowners from the airport’s surrounding area gathered to express their pride in the new airport and share the impact it was already having on their communities.  

It was the latest in a series of discussions which had also included talks about how the airport could be designed to incorporate parts of the local culture. 

The exterior of the new building has an axe-head-like shape and is decorated with traditional grey and green diamond and scalloped patterns similar to those one would see on the head of a Mt Hagen axe made by local craftsmen.

 “We felt it was important to include some local content into the building so we consulted local communities for help,” Henry Toma, a design consultant with the project said.  

“They suggested the Mt Hagen axe be incorporated into the design, and it soon became the driving element of the design. 

“Today, when you look at the shape of the building it looks the same as the Hagen axe,” 

 “The axe is an emblem of our ancestors,” Onda Kiap, a landowner from nearby Kala village said.  

“This new airport will be a model for PNG’s future airports. 

“We appreciated being consulted on the terminal’s design and the end result reflects our ideas,” he said, adding with it they took ownership.