New airport for Papua New Guinea

A new airport has been constructed in the southern highlands of Papua New Guinea that will help with communications and logistics for the development of a natural gas project in the area. Built at Komo, the airport is sufficiently large to be able to handle the massive Russian Antonov AH-124-100 transport aircraft. Construction of the airport however proved challenging as the climate in this mountainous area is known for its changeable weather and heavy seasonal rainfall. However the airport was need
August 21, 2013 Read time: 3 mins
Building a facility able to handle large aircraft proved extremely challenging due to the climate, the remote location and the difficult terrain

A new airport has been constructed in the southern highlands of Papua New Guinea that will help with communications and logistics for the development of a natural gas project in the area.

Built at Komo, the airport is sufficiently large to be able to handle the massive Russian Antonov AH-124-100 transport aircraft. Construction of the airport however proved challenging as the climate in this mountainous area is known for its changeable weather and heavy seasonal rainfall.

However the airport was needed so as to allow the shipment of heavy equipment to the remote Hides area, with the Antonov destined to make 70 flights to the facility, carrying components. The natural gas operation is run by a subsidiary of Exxon Mobil. The gas will be sourced from the Hides, Angore and Juha gas fields as well as the associated Kutubu, Agogo, Moran and Gobe regions.  The project involves the installation of over 700km of pipelines and the Hides facility will treat the natural gas and condensate.

The PNG LNG consortium consists of seven different companies including ExxonMobil, Oil Search, state-owned National Petroleum Company of PNG, Santos, JX Nippon, landowner interest manager Mineral Resources Development Company and state-owned Petromin. However because of the remote nature of the site and the fast changing climactic conditions, construction proved challenging for 2673 McConnell Dowell and Consolidated Contractors (MCJV), which built the Komo Airfield under contract for ExxonMobil. The work involved construction of a 3.2km long by 45m wide runway, as well as all airport infrastructure, including a terminal building, runway lighting, communication facilities and fuel storage. More than 9,000,000m3 of earth was moved and 55,000tonnes of asphalt was laid on the runway’s surface.
The MCJV partners used a wide array from Volvo Construction Equipment for the work, with 71 different items of machinery. These 359 Volvo CE units including 21 A40E ADTs, 27 EC460CL excavators, eight G990 B-Series graders, six L180F/L150F wheeled loaders, two Volvo 7820B pavers, two PT240R rubber tyred compactors, 15 Volvo soil compactors with five different units used, two BL61 B-Series backhoe loaders and two A35E articulated haulers modified as bowsers to hold 40,000 litres of water. The contracting team had to contend with mud slides and poor road conditions, although the weather proved a particular challenge with an estimated 50 million litres of rainfall.

About 80% of the machines that arrived on site were brand new and each machine clocked up 6,000 to 7,000 hours on average. Having been scrupulously well maintained all of the machines were still in good operational condition after the completion of the airfield and were ready to be transferred to other job sites. Many of the articulated haulers have since been bought by Exxon Mobil for other areas of the PNG LNG project.
Earthmoving & soil compaction Asphalt milling, paving & compaction

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • The ADT offers hauling versatility
    May 20, 2014
    The ADT offers a highly versatile option for earthmoving applications and manufacturers are offering new and improved models with the latest low emission engines - Mike Woof writes The versatility and adaptability of the ADT has seen this type of machine become one of the most important types of equipment for the global off-highway machinery sector. The once popular motor scraper now sells in only limited numbers, even in the US, and has been replaced by the more versatile excavator and ADT combination o
    Read More
  • Airport runway rebuild at Bologna
    May 15, 2019
    Rebuilding a runway requires special attention to detail to maximise efficiency and safety Airport runways face special challenges with regard to the loads they carry on a daily basis, particularly when aircraft are landing. A modern jet aircraft will typically land at speeds of around 240-260km/h, with a laden 747 weighing as much as 265tonnes at the end of a long flight. The stresses these large aircraft place on runway surfaces are enormous and not just with the massive impact forces exerted during
    Read More
  • Morocco extraction site service capability
    July 15, 2016
    Phosphate extraction is carried out on a huge scale in Morocco in harsh, hot and often remote locations. Servicing this equipment is no easy task given the conditions, with special machines having to be used. Phosphate is in high demand. It is used in fertilizer, detergent and food additives. However its fastest growing market is in the manufacturing of lithium-ion batteries, now being used widely for commercial goods as well as electric vehicles. As Morocco is the world's third-largest producer of phosphat
    Read More
  • Nigeria’s Eko Atlantic project: a city on the sea
    September 27, 2013
    Imagine a megapolis rising, Atlantis-like, from the sea. An urban development similar in size to New York’s Manhattan that boasts thriving business and residential districts to help transform not just a city but an entire country. It sounds like the stuff of science fiction. But the Eko Atlantic project in Lagos, Nigeria, is real and has become one of the most dazzling and most discussed construction developments in the entire world. One hundred years ago, the area of land on which the new city will be bu
    Read More

Highlighted Content