At the APIA Brisbane Dinner on 29 July 2010, McConnell Dowell’s Graham Nicholson discussed the challenges in constructing the airport that will service the PNG LNG Project in the highlands of Papua New Guinea.

The Komo Airfield will be an integral part of the PNG LNG Project, both during the construction and operation phases, and is being built by a joint venture of McConnell Dowell and Athens-based Consolidated Contractors Company.

Mr Nicholson’s presentation covered an outline of the project, including the key challenges, and was highly regarded due to the practical, on-the-ground level of detail it provided.

The contract was awarded in December 2009 and the joint venture has been onsite since January 2010 with mobilisation ramping up from that date.

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Mr Nicholson outlined key issues for the project as terrain, logistics, resources, security and expectations of stakeholders.

With respect to logistics, the path to get materials to the airport site is approximately 750 km via the Highlands Highway. The Highway leads from Lae, the port from which all items are being imported, to the airport site.

The Highlands Highway ranges from sealed carriageway to unsealed conditions along the final sections leading to the site. There are issues with turning around along the route, so careful planning is vital. Trucks travel in convoys of five when moving along the highway.

At the site, the terrain is undulating, meaning some sections must be cut and others filled to create the level surface for the runway. All up, the project will require the movement of 10 million cubic metres of earth.

The runway will be 3.2 km long – which compares with the length of major international airports – Melbourne’s longest runway is 3.6 km and Sydney’s longest runway is 3.9 km, as is Heathrow’s longest runway.

The length of the runway has been dictated by the fact that it will be receiving the massive Antonov AN-124 aircraft that will be bringing in materials for the PNG LNG upstream facilities over a six-month period. In the long term, Dash-8 aircraft will be the most frequent users of the airport.

The discussion of the massive undertaking was met with a massive attendance of well over 300, highlighting the strength of the industry in Queensland. The dinner was sponsored by IDM Partners and Nacap.