Gurney Airport’s terminal upgrade nears completion
By Andrew Curran.
Papua New Guinea’s National Airport Corporation (NAC) says work on the new terminal building at Gurney Airport (GUR) is almost three quarters complete. The NAC says the work should be completed by August 2026.
Currently, services are being installed in the new terminal building, with all the major building components completed.
“The new terminal building is 72% complete,” a NAC said in a Facebook post this week. “It will be equipped with modern technology designed to improve passenger and cargo movement, while enabling more efficient aircraft turnaround time.”
Gurney Airport serves Alotau, located on the north shore of Milne Bay. While Alotau is only 360 kilometres east of Papua New Guinea’s capital, Port Moresby, it wasn’t until mid-2025 that a road opened between the two cities. Even with the new road, driving time exceeds 12 hours.
As with most of Papua New Guinea, airlines play a vital role linking towns and cities. Both Air Niugini and PNG Air operate scheduled services between Gurney and Port Moresby (POM).
Once open, Gurney’s new terminal building will be capable of handling over 100 people at any one time. Ambitiously, the new building also includes a separate immigration section to serve any international flights in and out of Milne Bay province.
Away from the terminal, the NAC had the 1,960 metre runway resurfaced last year and it can now handle Air Niugini’s B737-800 and A220-300s.
Gurney Airport work part of a nationwide airport upgrade program
Still in progress is work installing the Airfield Ground Lighting system. On completion, it will improve visual approach during landing, particularly in adverse weather. The new lighting system will also allow the option of flight operations into and out of Gurney after hours.
The Gurney Airport upgrade part of the second tranche of work in Papua New Guinea’s Civil Aviation Development Investment Program (CADIP). With funding provided by the Asian Development Bank, Tranche Two is also resulting in infrastructure upgrades at Hoskins Airport (HKN) in West New Britain, Aropa Airport (KIE) in Bougainville, Boram/Wewak Airport (WWK) is East Sepik, and Kiunga Airport (UNG) in Western Province
CADIP is a long-running program aiming to redevelop 21 airports that carry the bulk of international and domestic passenger and freight traffic throughout the country.
Ten of these airports are located along coastal provinces, six of them are in the Highlands, while five are situated on the Niugini islands.
In Papua New Guinea, most of the major airports and terminal facilities are owned and operated by the government through the National Airport Corporation.
Photos: National Airport Corporation.
Contact the writer: andrew@aerosouthpacific.com