Momote Airport
Summary
Airport typePublic
OwnerPNG National Airports Corporation Limited
OperatorPNG National Airports Corporation Ltd
ServesLorengau, Manus Province
LocationLos Negros Island, Papua New Guinea
Elevation AMSL12 ft / 4 m
Coordinates02°03′43″S 147°25′27″E / 2.06194°S 147.42417°E / -2.06194; 147.42417
Map
MAS is located in Papua New Guinea
MAS
MAS
Location of airport in Papua New Guinea
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
16/34 1,870 6,136 Chipseal
Source: DAFIF[1][2]

Momote Airport (IATA: MAS, ICAO: AYMO) is an airport on Los Negros Island in the Admiralty Islands, Papua New Guinea. It also serves Manus Island, which is connected to Los Negros by a bridge.

History

Hayne Airfield

Built by the Imperial Japanese at Momote during World War II. Known as Hayne Airfield by the Japanese, as they called Los Negros, Hayne Island. The runway was 4,100 feet (1,200 m) long × 300 feet (91 m) wide with three taxiways and 12 revetments under construction.

Occupied on 2 March 1944 by the US Army's 1st Cavalry Division as part of the Battle of Los Negros, which was part of the Admiralty Islands campaign.

Japanese Units based at Hayne Airfield

  • 63rd Sentai, 3rd Chutai (Ki-43)
  • 14th Sentai (Ki-21)

Momote Airfield

After liberating the airfield on 2 March 1944, the Seabees of the 40th Naval Construction Battalion repaired the airfield and the airfield became operational on 18 May 1944, although fighters were landing at the airfield only two days after occupation. The single runway was extended to 7,800 feet (2,400 m) long × 130 feet (40 m) wide with 75-foot (23 m) shoulders, constructed with a coral base with marsden matting covering 1,000 feet (300 m) at the ends of the runway. A 7,000-barrel fuel depot was set up at the airfield. The United States Navy established Aviation Repair and Overhaul Unit No.1 (AROU 1) in the spring of 1944 on Momote Airfield between Seeadler Harbor and the Bismarck Sea on Los Negros Island. AROU 1 conducted maintenance and testing of naval aircraft and supplied aircraft to naval forces for major assaults as far away as the Philippine Islands.

Allied Units Based at Momote Airfield

Facilities

The airport resides at an elevation of 12 feet (4 m) above mean sea level. It has one runway designated 16/34 with a chip seal surface measuring 1,870 by 45 metres (6,135 ft × 148 ft).[1] The airport can accommodate B737 operations and night operations. The airport is sometimes used by private business jets as an alternative stop-over on the route between United States and India.[3]

Airlines and destinations

AirlinesDestinations
Air Niugini Kavieng, Lae, Madang, Port Moresby

See also

References

Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency

  1. 1 2 Airport information for AYMO[usurped] from DAFIF (effective October 2006)
  2. ↑ Airport information for MAS at Great Circle Mapper. Source: DAFIF (effective October 2006).
  3. ↑ "Level Jet Charter | I Worldwide Air Charter Services".


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.