Airport boss flags Port Vila Bauerfield terminal upgrade

By Andrew Curran.

The 1990’s era passenger terminal at Port Vila’s Bauerfield International Airport (VLI) could be upgraded to handle increase passenger numbers, according to Vanuatu’s Business Review.

The outlet cites Vanuatu Airports Limited CEO Jason Rakau, who says the work should start later this year after scoping and design work is done and the funding gets locked in.

“Our terminal, built in 1990, was designed to handle the level of traffic at that time,” he said. “Over the years, passenger numbers have increased, and congestion during flight operations has become evident, thus the need for a larger space to properly process traffic levels.”

Capacity crush at Port Vila's Bauerfield Airport

Aside from being Air Vanuatu’s home airport, Bauerfield sees scheduled passenger services from Air Calédonie, Air Niugini, Fiji Airways, Jetstar, Qantas, Solomon Airlines, and Virgin Australia. Alongside nine domestic destinations, the airport has direct connections to Honiara (HIR), Noumea (NOU), Auckland (AKL), Sydney (SYD), and Brisbane (BNE).

In July, Solomon Airlines will start flights between Port Vila and Christchurch (CHC).

The newspaper says at present, arriving passengers sometimes have to stand on the tarmac awaiting processing, a problem exacerbated by more than one aircraft arriving around the same time.

“It’s a daily challenge to ensure no more than three jets arrive at the same time,” added Rakau. “At present, just two jets are enough to fill the terminal, so we try to limit arrivals.”

Prior to Covid-19, the airport was handling around half a million passengers annually. During Covid, passenger numbers collapsed. More recent data isn’t available, but anecdotal evidence indicates passenger traffic is trending upwards again, partly driven by a significant increase in seat capacity to and from Port Vila in the past 18 months.

There is a long-term Bauerfield Airport master-plan that involves a new terminal. The current proposal (which is yet to secure funding) is more modest. The upgrade of the existing terminal will seek to improve the passenger experience by smoothing out the arrivals and departures process and ultimately render the terminal capable of handling more traffic.

The airport master-plan, developed across 2018/19, hasn’t since progressed beyond cabinet approval. Rakau says any progress will involve significant expenditure and take “years to be realised.”

“This new terminal will be designed to take us into the future,” he said. “While the long-term plan remains in place, immediate adjustments are necessary to address challenges.”

Vanuatu Government backs airport upgrades

Speaking to another Port Vila news outlet earlier this week, Acting Prime Minister Johnny Koanapo, said the current government was committed to improving airports across the country.

In addition to improving the primary airport at Port Vila, he said the government planned upgrades for four other airports, including Longana (LOD), Lonorore (LNE), Whitegrass (TAH), and Motalava (MTV).

“In the coming weeks, we will combine efforts to improve these airports and secure the necessary budget as soon as possible,” Koanapo said. “We pay for the planes, but we must also fix the airports."

He added that while the government’s priority was strengthening domestic connections (calling those connections “the heart of linking our nation together”) the government was equally committed to upgrading the arrivals and departures experience at Bauerfield Airport.

Tourism is vital to Vanuatu’s economy, contributing over one-third of the country’s GDP and supporting around 39% of the workforce. Given tourism's importance, Rakau says it is essential Vanuatu’s primary gateway makes the arrivals and departures process as pain free as possible if the country wants the tourists to keep coming.

Photo: Port Vila Bauerfield International Airport.

Contact the writer: andrew@aerosouthpacific.com