AviatDataNadzab Tomodachi International Airport LAE / AYNZ
Lae, Morobe Province · Papua New Guinea · National Airports Corporation (NAC) — Papua New Guinea state-owned company, established under the Civil Aviation Act 2000 and incorporated in 2009 under the Companies Act 1997 (evolved from the former Civil Aviation Authority's airport division); owns and operates 22 national airports across PNG, including Port Moresby, Nadzab, Mt Hagen, Madang, Wewak and others. The 2016-2023 terminal/runway redevelopment (K692 million total: ~K578m JICA ODA loan, ~K114m PNG Government counterpart funding) was implemented by NAC with Japan's JICA, design/supervision consulting by OC Global (2017-2024) and construction by a Dai Nippon-Nippo joint venture; loan agreement signed Oct 2015, main terminal groundbreaking Aug 2020 (delayed by COVID-19), completion 2023 — hence the 'Tomodachi' (Japanese for 'friend') name added at the Oct 2, 2023 opening.
400kpax · 2025
Limited hoursInternational · customs & immigrationJet A-1
ICAO / IATAAYNZ / LAE
OperatorNational Airports Corporation (NAC) — Papua New Guinea state-owned company, established under the Civil Aviation Act 2000 and incorporated in 2009 under the Companies Act 1997 (evolved from the former Civil Aviation Authority's airport division); owns and operates 22 national airports across PNG, including Port Moresby, Nadzab, Mt Hagen, Madang, Wewak and others. The 2016-2023 terminal/runway redevelopment (K692 million total: ~K578m JICA ODA loan, ~K114m PNG Government counterpart funding) was implemented by NAC with Japan's JICA, design/supervision consulting by OC Global (2017-2024) and construction by a Dai Nippon-Nippo joint venture; loan agreement signed Oct 2015, main terminal groundbreaking Aug 2020 (delayed by COVID-19), completion 2023 — hence the 'Tomodachi' (Japanese for 'friend') name added at the Oct 2, 2023 opening.
Coordinates6.5698°S, 146.7261°E
Elevation239 ft · 73 m
Time zonePGT (UTC+10, no DST)
Passengers / yr400,000 (2025)
CustomsYes
Border controlYes
SchengenNo
FuelJet A-1
Bonded—
AIP referenceAYNZ — AIP Papua New Guinea (Niusky Pacific AIS, Port Moresby FIR)
Operating hoursNAC's own airport page (nac.com.pg) publishes office hours as daily 08:00-17:00 local ('Sunday-Sunday: 8.00am-5.00pm'); no separate H24 ATC/tower schedule was found. Only a non-precision VOR approach is confirmed available (VOR ident NZ, 113.90 MHz, per SkyVector) - no ILS is published for AYNZ. Note: the specific claims of a 2011 DVOR/DME commissioning date and a 2016 JICA study explicitly rating ILS installation 'low priority' could not be independently verified and should be treated as unconfirmed rather than fact. Operations remain effectively daylight/VMC-oriented in practice; confirm after-hours or wide-body movements with NAC in advance.
TerminalsSingle terminal (10,000 sqm, two-storey, reinforced concrete + steel, opened October 2023) with 16 check-in counters, two lounges (including an Air Niugini lounge), aerobridges, and dedicated immigration/quarantine facilities built to international standard - confirmed via NAC/JICA project consultant OC Global. The pre-2023 terminal building has been repurposed for air cargo; NAC signed a 40-year lease with Afia PNG in June 2025 for an agri-export/seafood cargo terminal and logistics hub there.
Runways (1)
- 09/27 · 2,438 m / 7,999 ft · 45 m wide · Asphalt
Airport contact
Runway 09/27 is 2,438m long and was widened in the 2016-2023 JICA-funded redevelopment to a '2,400m x 45m class' runway (per OC Global, the JICA project consultant) so wide-bodies like the B777-200 can now land; note that some third-party flight-planning databases (SkyVector, GreatCircleMapper) still list the pre-redevelopment ~30m/98ft width and appear not to have been updated post-2023 - treat 45m as the current authoritative figure. The terminal was rebuilt (10,000 sqm, confirmed) with immigration/quarantine facilities, and PM Marape called it PNG's 'second international gateway' at the Oct 2023 opening. Despite this, as of September 2026 no regular scheduled international service operates from Nadzab - all PNG-international traffic still routes via Port Moresby (POM). This is corroborated by Air Niugini's own new A220-300 fleet: although the type has flown domestic PNG routes (including Lae) since Sept 2025, its FIRST international deployment was Port Moresby-Cairns in March 2026, not Lae. Nadzab is used for occasional international charters only; treat it as PNG's second-busiest domestic hub with international-standard facilities rather than an active international gateway. PNG publishes no official airport-level passenger statistics; the ~400,000 annual pax figure is an unverified 2025 estimate (prior confirmed reference point was 330,000 domestic pax in 2012), not a verified NAC/CAA count.
Services
Available
On request / PPR
Seasonal / ageing
Unconfirmed / not listed
Ground handling
Available · 2 providers
Air Niugini
Self-handled, Air Niugini — PNG's national carrier operates its own check-in, ramp and turnaround staff at the Air Niugini Terminal, Nadzab (confirmed as the terminal's own name via Avis's location listing); serves the airline's Q400/Dash-8 domestic fleet, with B737 operations also confirmed there as of the new-terminal transition in Aug 2026. Unconfirmed whether it also handles other carriers' aircraft here.
Contact details available to subscribersYour company? Subscribe · Founding Member Price €199/yr
Verified 2 weeks ago · unconfirmed source
PNG Air
Self-handled, PNG Air — the carrier maintains a staffed branch office/station at Nadzab (phone ••• / •••, •••, confirmed against PNG Air's own sales-office directory) for its ATR 72 domestic network, handling its own check-in and ramp operations.
Contact details available to subscribersYour company? Subscribe · Founding Member Price €199/yr
Verified 2 weeks ago · unconfirmed source
Aircraft fuel
Available · 2 providers
Pacific Energy Aviation (PNG) Limited
Jet A-1 into-plane supplier at Nadzab (LAE) — PEAL, in a joint venture with Ok Tedi Mining Limited (OTML), expanded aircraft refuelling operations to five strategic airports beginning mid-2025: Nadzab, Kagamuga (Mount Hagen), Kiunga, Tokua (Rabaul) and Vanimo, to support regional/FIFO mining traffic and address a national Jet A-1 shortage; confirmed directly via PNG Business News (28-Nov-2025) and Business Advantage PNG (17-Mar-2026) trade coverage.
Contact details available to subscribersYour company? Subscribe · Founding Member Price €199/yr
Verified 2 weeks ago · unconfirmed source
Puma Energy PNG
Jet A-1/Avgas supplier — a 2021 Air Niugini fuel supply contract with Puma named Lae Nadzab among the covered stations (alongside Madang, Hoskins, Mount Hagen, Buka, Tabubil, Kiunga, Kavieng, Wewak, per ch-aviation, confirmed). Current status at Nadzab is unconfirmed: Puma has since issued a notice of termination of its Air Niugini location agreement amid an ongoing supply dispute, and Pacific Energy Aviation/OTML entered into-plane refuelling at Nadzab in 2025 partly to cover the resulting shortfall.
Contact details available to subscribersYour company? Subscribe · Founding Member Price €199/yr
Verified 2 weeks ago · unconfirmed source
De-icing
Not listed
Part-145 line maintenance
Unconfirmed · 2 providers
Air Niugini
In-house, Air Niugini Engineering — the airline maintains its own AME-licensed engineering staff for its Q400 domestic fleet; a dedicated Lae/Nadzab line-maintenance detachment is plausible given Nadzab's hub status but is not separately documented.
Contact details available to subscribersYour company? Subscribe · Founding Member Price €199/yr
Verified 2 weeks ago · unconfirmed source
North Coast Aviation Ltd
In-house, North Coast Aviation — PNG charter carrier established 1991 and based at Nadzab, operating its own fleet from Lae/Nadzab, Mount Hagen, Goroka, Wau and Kerema (contact details confirmed via PNG Business Directory and the carrier's own listings); self-maintenance of its own aircraft is standard for this operating model but is not separately documented.
Contact details available to subscribersYour company? Subscribe · Founding Member Price €199/yr
Verified 2 weeks ago · unconfirmed source
Part-145 base maintenance
Unconfirmed
North Coast Aviation Ltd
In-house hangar at Nadzab historically built for the operator's own fleet; current scope of heavy/base maintenance capability is not separately documented.
Contact details available to subscribersYour company? Subscribe · Founding Member Price €199/yr
Verified 2 weeks ago · unconfirmed source
Component shops & overhaul
Not listed
Flight catering
Unconfirmed
Air Niugini
In-house, Air Niugini — complimentary inflight meals and beverages are served on all Air Niugini flights including domestic Nadzab services per the airline's own site; unconfirmed whether meals are prepared/loaded on-site at Lae or trucked from Port Moresby.
Contact details available to subscribersYour company? Subscribe · Founding Member Price €199/yr
Verified 2 weeks ago · unconfirmed source
Aircraft cleaning
Unconfirmed
Air Niugini
Self-handled, Air Niugini — cabin/turnaround cleaning is presumed part of the airline's own ramp handling at its Nadzab hub; no separate documentation found.
Contact details available to subscribersYour company? Subscribe · Founding Member Price €199/yr
Verified 2 weeks ago · unconfirmed source
Ground support equipment
Not listed
Cargo handling
Available · 2 providers
PNG Air
PNG Air Cargo operates scheduled freight (general, priority, perishables, dangerous goods, cold-chain handling) on its ATR 72-600 fleet, connecting Lae/Nadzab with Port Moresby, Mount Hagen, Rabaul and 20+ domestic destinations; domestic cargo desk ••• / •••, international cargo ••• / ••• — both confirmed against PNG Air's own contact-center page.
Contact details available to subscribersYour company? Subscribe · Founding Member Price €199/yr
Verified 2 weeks ago · unconfirmed source
Afia PNG Limited
AFIA PNG Ltd, a 100%-nationally-owned import-export enterprise, signed a 40-year lease with National Airports Corporation on 26-Jun-2025 to develop an integrated Air Freight Cargo Terminal at Nadzab Tomodachi International Airport for dry and perishable agricultural/marine export cargo. NAC's and AFIA's own joint announcement describes the lease as "paving the way for the establishment" of the terminal; no independent source confirms the facility has since been built and is operating, so treat as not-yet-confirmed-operational rather than available.
Contact details available to subscribersYour company? Subscribe · Founding Member Price €199/yr
Verified 2 weeks ago · unconfirmed source
Aviation security
Available
National Airports Corporation (NAC)
NAC self-provides aviation security at the 22 national airports it owns and operates, including Nadzab — screening/searching of passengers, crew, airport workers, baggage and aircraft, plus security patrols and escorts, under PNG Aviation Rules Part 140 (ICAO Annex 17), via NAC's Aviation Security Operation division; the "22 national airports" and "Aviation Security Operation" framing is confirmed directly against NAC's own site.
Contact details available to subscribersYour company? Subscribe · Founding Member Price €199/yr
Verified 2 weeks ago · unconfirmed source
Passenger & crew transport
Available · 2 providers
Avis Rent A Car (PNG)
Car rental counter at the Air Niugini Terminal, Nadzab Airport, Lae; address and phone (•••) confirmed directly against Avis's own Nadzab location page. Listed hours 7:00am-6:30pm daily per third-party mirrors of the same listing; the specific opening hours could not be independently re-verified on. · 07:00-18:30 daily
Contact details available to subscribersYour company? Subscribe · Founding Member Price €199/yr
Verified 2 weeks ago · unconfirmed source
Budget Rent A Car (PNG)
Car rental, Budget Rent A Car PNG — confirmed against Budget's own PNG primary source (budget.com.pg), which lists a "LAE Airport" pickup location (•••); Budget's global site separately lists a Nadzab Airport desk at ••• distinct from its Lae Downtown branch on Milfordhaven Road. Upgraded from the draft's "unconfirmed" — this is a Budget-PNG primary source, not only third-party aggregators. · 06:30-20:00 daily
Contact details available to subscribersYour company? Subscribe · Founding Member Price €199/yr
Verified 2 weeks ago · unconfirmed source
Flight support
Not listed
Hotel & travel
Unconfirmed
Huon Gulf Hotel & Apartments (Coral Sea Hotels)
Coral Sea Hotels' Huon Gulf Hotel (Markham Road, Lae) is about 21 miles (34km) from Nadzab by road — roughly 30-40 minutes, not the "6 minutes" in the earlier draft, which was a factual error; it is also not the closest hotel to the airport (Crossroads Hotel, on the Lae-Nadzab highway near the 9 Mile mark, is nearer at about 15 miles). Coral Sea Hotels' own location page confirms paid daily airport transfers to/from Nadzab, but run by a third-party operator (Guard Dog Security), not the hotel itself. No specific airline crew-accommodation contract was confirmed.
Contact details available to subscribersYour company? Subscribe · Founding Member Price €199/yr
Verified 2 weeks ago · unconfirmed source