Hoskins airport upgrade sees runway length temporarily cut

By Andrew Curran.

Papua New Guinea’s National Airport Corporation has reduced the operational length of Hoskins Airport (HKN) to 1,100 metres while resurfacing and strengthening work takes place. The change took effect yesterday, March 4, 2026.

Hoskins Airport serves Kimbe, the capital of West New Britain Province. West New Britain covers the western half of New Britain Island and forms the northern boundary of the Solomon Sea. The province is home to over a quarter of a million people.

Air Niugini operates scheduled passenger flights to Hoskins from Port Moresby (POM) while PNG Air flies in from Lae (LAE), Rabaul (RAB) and Port Moresby.

Dominic Kaumu, Acting CEO of the National Airport Corporation, said the shortened runway will only allow Dash 8 turboprops or smaller aircraft from those carriers to land at Hoskins.

Currently, neither airline flies bigger planes to the airport. Air Niugini uses a mix of DHC-8-300s and DHC-8-Q400s while PNG Air uses either ATR72-500s and ATR72-600s.

Normally, the 1,900-metre runway at Hoskins Airport can accommodate aircraft up to B737 size.

Hoskins is one of many PNG airports getting an upgrade

The National Airport Corporation, which owns and operates most of Papua New Guinea’s commercial airports, is upgrading several of them via the Asian Development Bank backed Civil Aviation Development Investment Program.

Alongside Hoskins, work is underway at Milne Bay’s Gurney Airport (GUR), Lae Airport on the main island's northeast coast, Kiunga Airport (UNG) in the Western Province, and Bougainville’s Kieta Airport (KIE).

In the case of Kiunga, work on the runway has seen its operational length reduced to just 490 metres, forcing Air Niugini and PNG Air to suspend their flights there until mid-year.

“The national airports have low level of compliance with safety and security standards, creating risks of accidents and illegal movements of people and goods,” the Asian Development Bank says in a funding explanatory on its website.

The bank provided a loan of USD171.5 million for Papua New Guinea’s government to kick start the upgrade programme. The government is also providing some funding from its own coffers.

Upgrade work progresses at all airports

Kaumu says the “physical progress” of airside and landside work at Hoskins Airport is now 32% complete. The lead contractor is China Railway Construction Engineering Group.

At Kiunga, the planned airside and landside work is over 35% complete, while in late January, the National Airport Corporation reported work at Kieta Airport was 38% complete.

The National Airport Corporation proactively posts about progress on its social media accounts. In most, Kaumu’s messaging is the same. He says the upgrades are critical to improving airport’s safety, security standards, and operational efficiency.

“Each stage brings us closer to delivering a modern airport that meets international standards,” he said about Hoskins Airport last month.

Aside from runway work, the refurbishment of the passenger terminal at Hoskins has started, with passengers now using a temporary building.

Several weeks ago, the contractor handed over the keys to a new staff residential duplex at the airport.

Kaumu says the timing of the runway work at Hoskins Airport is subject to prevailing weather conditions. He did not say when he expects the runway to become fully operational again.

Photo: National Airport Corporation

Contact the writer: andrew@aerosouthpacific.com