Lae, Papua New Guinea, October 1, 2023 – Prime Minister Hon. James Marape will preside over the momentous grand opening of the new K794 million Nadzab Tomodachi International Airport on Monday, October 2, 2023. This landmark event marks the culmination of the Nadzab Airport Redevelopment Project (NARP), the most substantial single airport investment ever undertaken by the National Government. The project received invaluable support from the JICA ODA loan No PN-P11 and was executed by the National Airports Corporation Limited.
The contract for this transformative project was awarded to Dai Nippon Corporation/Nippo JV in November 2019, with front-end engineering, design, and construction management expertly handled by Oriental Consultants Global Co. Ltd/Azusa Sekkei Co. Ltd JV.
With an on-lending loan of K692 million, the Nadzab Tomodachi International Airport underwent comprehensive upgrades, enabling it to accommodate unlimited B737 operations and serve as an alternate hub for B767 type aircraft to alleviate congestion at Port Moresby International Airport. The National Government contributed counterpart funding of K114 million to ensure the project’s successful completion.
The crowning achievement of this endeavor is the state-of-the-art terminal building, now fully ready for operation. Prime Minister Marape envisions the Nadzab Airport as “a gamechanger for Lae, Morobe, and Papua New Guinea” upon its completion.
Prime Minister Marape expressed his gratitude, saying, “The NARP is a high-impact Government project funded by the National Government through a soft loan from the Government of Japan via the Japanese International Cooperation Agency. The Japanese ODA Step Loan, PN-P11, was originally signed on October 15, 2015, with a total value of 26.942 billion Japanese Yen (K680 million), counter-funded by GoPNG with K114 million.”
Despite encountering challenges such as a lack of counterpart funding during the O’Neill government and the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Nadzab Airport Redevelopment Project persevered. Prime Minister Marape extended his heartfelt appreciation to the Japanese Government, the Japanese contractors responsible for building the airport to the highest international standards, and the National Airports Corporation for their collective efforts in delivering this world-class project, which will facilitate seamless international flights to and from Lae.
