Bonriki airport

Bonriki International Airport
Characteristics
ICAO code	NGTA
IATA code	TRW
Coordinates	1 ° 22 '54 "  N , 173 ° 8' 39"  E Coordinates: 1 ° 22 '54 "  N , 173 ° 8' 39"  E
Height above MSL	3 m (10  ft )
Transport links
Distance from the city center	24 km northeast of Bairiki
Basic data
opening	1943 (military)
operator	Republic of Kiribati
Terminals	1
Start-and runway
09/27	2011 m × 41 m asphalt

National flight network

The Bonriki airport or Bonriki International Airport ( IATA code : TRW, ICAO code : NGTA) is an international airport in the Republic of Kiribati . It is located on the island of Bonriki , which in turn is at the eastern end of the Tarawa Atoll . Bonriki and its neighboring islands together form the Kiribati capital of South Tarawa . The airport is around 7 km from the next larger town, Bikenibeu , 24 km from Bairiki and 29 km from Betio .

It is the home base of the state airline Air Kiribati , which flies to destinations in the other Gilbert Islands from here . International connections are offered by Fiji Airways , Nauru Airlines and Solomon Airlines .

history

Built by the Seabees of the United States Navy as Bonriki Airfield , the airfield opened in December 1943. In honor of Admiral Henry M. Mullinnix , who died on November 24, 1943 on board the USS Liscome Bay , it was also known as Mullinnix Field . The military airfield served, among other things, the United States Army Air Forces as a base for the attacks on the Marshall Islands , Kwajalein and Eniwetok in 1944 .

The former British colonial administration of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands took over the Bonriki Airfield in 1945. The first international flight connection was established in 1964 by Fiji Airways to Nadi , with a stopover in Funafuti on the then Ellice Islands (now Tuvalu ). In the early 1970s, Fiji Airways also took up scheduled services between the Gilbert Islands and flew De Havilland DH.114 Heron aircraft, initially from Bonriki to Abemama , Butaritari and Tabiteuea . Beru , Maiana , Marakei and Nonouti were added as further regional destinations until the mid-1970s . Air Nauru set up an international connection to Yaren in spring 1972. The newly founded Air Tungaru gradually took over the national liner services from Air Pacific (formerly Fiji Airways) from April 1978. In July 1979, when the Republic of Kiribati gained independence, the airport became state property. It was then expanded, with the runway getting its current length of 2011 meters. From June 1981 to March 1984 the state Air Tungaru also carried out international flights from Bonriki via Kiritimati to Honolulu ( Hawaii ).

In 2008, the Kiribati government planned to modernize the airport. The Republic of Taiwan agreed to assume the estimated cost of $ 12 million. As part of the construction work, which began in 2011 and was largely financed by the World Bank , the runway was initially given a new surface and the airport area was fenced off. The terminal and the navigation aids ( NDB and DME ) were then modernized and runway lighting was installed. On June 27, 2017, an Air Kiribati crew carried out the first night landing at the airport.

links

As of January 2018, the following connections are offered:

Airline	aims
Air Kiribati	Abaiang , Abemama , Aranuka , Butaritari , Kuria , Marakei , Maiana , Makin , Nonouti and Tabiteuea (all national)
Fiji Airways	Nadi
Nauru Airlines	Nauru , Majuro
Solomon Airlines	Brisbane , Honiara ( codeshare with Air Kiribati)

Web links

Commons : Bonriki International Airport  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• World Aero Data, data from the airport (in English) , accessed January 27, 2018
• AZ World Airports, airport data , accessed January 27, 2018

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Pacificwrecks.com, Bonriki Airfield (in English)
2. ↑ Fiji Airways, December 1970 timetable , accessed February 10, 2018
3. ^ Air Pacific, April 1976 timetable , accessed February 10, 2018
4. ^ Government of Kiribati, Kiribati Aviation Investment Project, January 16, 2014 (in English), accessed January 27, 2018
5. ↑ Blue Swan Daily, Air Kiribati makes history with maiden service at Tarawa Bonriki Airport, June 26, 2017 (in English), accessed January 27, 2018
6. ^ Air Kiribati, Gilbert Islands route network map , accessed on January 27, 2018
7. ↑ Nauru Airlines, route network, January 2018 ( memento of the original from January 13, 2018 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed January 27, 2018 
8. ^ Air Kiribati, Honiara to Tarawa (in English), accessed January 27, 2018
9. ↑ Air Kiribati, Brisbane to Tarawa (in English), accessed January 27, 2018