$60m face-lift
Nausori airport upgrade works going as planned, says Pillay
WORK on the extension of the Nausori International Airport runway is going according to plan, reveals Krishneel Pillay, the liaison and developments officer for China Railways No.5 (CR5) Engineering Group Fiji Ltd.
He said for the past one year, CR5 had been working round the clock to meet the deadline for the project which would see an upgraded runway increased from 1670 metres to 2140 metres and widened from 30 metres to 45 metres.
China Railway No.5 also known as CR5 is contracted by Airports Fiji Ltd to construct the Nausori International Airport Runway Extension and Airport Upgrade Project.
“CR5 has been working on this project for the past one
year among other projects and have engaged their best engineers to supervise and manage this project,” said Mr Pillay.
“It is a two to three-year project that will modernise the airport to an international standard airport. CR5 previously also completed the airport and runway upgrading work for Rotuma Airport and runway as well,” he said.
In an elaborate launch in September, last year, the Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama said the $60 million investment by Government on the airport was expected to boost economic activity in Rewa and Tailevu provinces and act as another primary gateway to Fiji .
The airport handles 75,000 international passengers and more than a quarter-million domestic passengers each year with more than 10,000 domestic flights took off and landed on this runway last year.
According to the Ministry of Lands and Mineral Resources Facebook page, the Mataqali Vunilolo, Naselai Village, Tailevu are the landowners.
They leased their land to AFL under Ministry of Lands and Mineral Resources through the Land Bank to allow for the extension of the International Nausori Airport runway.
Mataqali Vunilolo is the only mataqali from Nausori that leased their land through the Land Bank for the Nausori airport extension.
The project is expected to be completed by 2021.