LAE, Papua New Guinea – On October 2, 2023, the inauguration ceremony was held for Nadzab Tomodachi International Airport in Papua New Guinea (PNG), for which Oriental Consultants Global Co., Ltd. acted as the lead consultant in a Joint Venture* to provide detailed design, tender assistance, construction supervision, and other consulting services. The ceremony was attended by Prime Minister James Marape, Minister for Transport and Civil Aviation Hon. Walter Schnaubelt, and Governor of Morobe Province Hon. Luther Wenge representing PNG; as well as Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs Iwao Horii, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to PNG Nobuyuki Watanabe, and Director of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) PNG Office Hideaki Matsuoka representing Japan. The modernized airport was officially named “Tomodachi” to symbolize the friendship between Japan and PNG, and marks a significant milestone in the country’s aviation sector.
*Joint Venture of Oriental Consultants Global Co.,Ltd and Azusa Sekkei Co.,Ltd.

Commemorative photo
Center: James Marape / Papua New Guinea Prime Minister
Center-right: Iwao Horii / Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs
Second from the left: Nobuyuki Watanbe / Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to PNG
Right: Hideaki Matsuoka / Director of JICA PNG Office
Second from the right: Ichiro Miyakoshi / Vice President of OC Global

At the ceremony, a traditional Japanese sake barrel-breaking ceremony was conducted.
Center: Tom Nou / National Airport Corporation Project Management Unit Project Director
Second from left: Ichiro Miyakoshi / Vice President of OC Global

Panoramic view of the newly constructed Passenger Terminal

To symbolize the friendship between Japan and PNG, the airport was named “TOMODACHI”, which means friendship in Japanese

Expanded taxiways and newly installed aviation lighting

Local residents celebrating the airport’s opening

The city of Lae, PNG’s second-largest city, boasts an international port and is a crucial transportation hub, connecting the highlands region where major industries are located to the rest of the country by road. PNG’s mainland, the eastern half of New Guinea island, features rugged terrain with east-west ridges, including peaks reaching 4,000 meters in elevation. Given that the only means of transportation connecting the capital, Port Moresby, to the rest of PNG is by air and sea due to this challenging topography, airports have become vital infrastructure for the safe and efficient movement of people and goods. However, the pre-existing Nadzab Airport, on the outskirts of Lae along the Highlands Highway, lacked adequate facilities to meet the growing demands of passenger transport. The terminal building was deteriorating rapidly, and a significant portion of passenger handling tasks, including baggage handling and security checks, were performed manually, leading to significant congestion during peak times. Additionally, the runway pavement and airport safety equipment such as aviation lighting needed updates. Through this project, with the financial support of the Japanese government, the airport underwent a comprehensive redevelopment. This included expanding existing runways to meet the requirements for international flights, expanding and establishing new taxiways, enlarging the parking area, enhancing aviation lighting, and constructing a new two-story steel-framed passenger terminal building spanning approx. 10,740 square meters. These improvements are expected to enhance both convenience and safety at the airport, in response to the increasing demand for transportation.

Only transferring repair technology for existing infrastructure, but also emphasizing the importance of maintenance and management to ensure that the nation’s infrastructure can be used safely and for a longer duration.