Kokoda Airport
| Kokoda Airport | |
|---|---|
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| Characteristics | |
| ICAO code | AYKI |
| IATA code | KKD |
| Coordinates | |
| Height above MSL | 1269 m (4163 ft )
|
The Kokoda airfield is located near the small town of Kokoda in eastern Papua New Guinea . From here the Kokoda Track leads to Gorari and Oivi near the capital Port Moresby, which is almost 100 kilometers to the southwest .
The airfield and the village are on a high plateau , 1,269 meters above sea level in the middle of the Owen Stanley Mountains , which rise around the plateau to heights of over 2,000 meters.
The airport is currently little used, so there is only twice a week a flight with a small engine to Port Moresby Airport .
history
The airfield was conquered by the Japanese during the Pacific War in World War II , who, after the lost battle in the Coral Sea and the sea landing at Port Moresby, which was thwarted by the Americans , began the arduous route over the Kokoda Track to their actual destination. The 144th Japanese Infantry Regiment under Lieutenant Colonel Hatsuo Tsukamoto took over this task in July 1942 . After landing at Buna , Gona and Sanananda , the Japanese marched to Kokoda, secured the airfield , which had been held by Australian soldiers until then , and began to expand it. The Australian units were thus cut off from further Allied supplies from the air.
The Japanese army was subsequently stopped by the Australians on their further advance to Port Moresby. The important airfield came back into the hands of the Australians on November 2, 1942. The Japanese hadn't used it and the runway was partially overgrown with grass. The Australians immediately began to prepare the runway for the landing of the first supply machines.