Rural Airstrips Serving A Vital Cause

Rural airstrips in Papua New Guinea (PNG) play a vital role in serving the remote communities of the country. This was emphasised in a Doctoral Thesis by Anura Widana on rural airstrips in PNG. The research highlighted that with PNG’s rugged landscape where hundreds of thousands of people live in rural areas, the absence of road networks emphasises how vital rural airstrips are in terms of service delivery in the areas of health, education and trade. Though airstrips are small, they are a valuable piece of infrastructure for connectivity in PNG. These airstrips are crucial for connecting remote communities. 

At a media conference held late last year by the then Minister for Transport and Civil Aviation Walter Schnaubelt, whilst announcing the Civil Aviation Development Investment Programme (CADIP) Phase 3, he said PNG has close to 400 rural airstrips, but only about 200 are operational. Minister Schnaubelt elaborated that under CADIP 3, if some funding is allocated for rural airstrips, which are in dire need of maintenance to be operational again, they will be given priority. 

The operation of rural airstrips comes with vast challenges. Some of these challenges include a low number of operators, high operating costs and limited government funding for the Rural Airstrip Agency (RAA), according to academic research by Anura Widana. The RAA is a not-for-profit company and wholly owned subsidiary of the Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) that operates as a Private Public Partnership (PPP) initiative between the Government and MAF. It is responsible for the maintenance and rehabilitation of rural airstrips in PNG. 

In 2023, the RAA completed surveys on over 69 rural airstrips, restored 8 rural airstrips, carried out inspections and maintenance of 35 rural airstrips and trained 29 rural airstrip maintenance officers. Prime Minister James Marape, during the launch of RAA’s Corporate Plan 2023-2027, gave assurance that the Government is dedicated to supporting the RAA in serving the rural majority. RAA’s Corporate Plan outlines key objectives such as maintenance and restoration, expansion of operational rural airstrips and having more collaborations with stakeholders to enhance the maintenance of rural airstrips.   

According to information from the RAA published by Mission Aviation Fellowship in 2024, around 8 million Papua New Guineans rely on rural airstrips for essential services. During the colonial period, 800 rural airstrips in PNG were created, but today, less than half that number are functioning. Many have fallen into disrepair or aren’t economically viable to run. 

With nearly half of PNG’s rural airstrips non-operational, what urgent actions should the government and stakeholders take to ensure remote communities remain connected to essential services? Do you have a rural airstrip in your area and is it operational?