ALL Solomon Airlines flights to Taro Airport in Choiseul Province will be suspended at the end of this month for about two months as upgrade work to the aviation facility is bound to intensify.
This was announced by Solomon Airlines in a statement yesterday.
This means all services will be halted throughout the months of September and October.
“Solomon Airlines flights to and from Choiseul Bay will be temporarily cancelled from 28 August to 22 October as works progress on the upgrading of Choiseul Bay airfield,” the statement said.
Solomon Airlines Choiseul Bay flights scheduled for tomorrow Saturday 5 August have been moved to Sunday 6 August due to works to the runway surface.
Then from the end of August, for a period of six to eight weeks, the Choiseul Bay Airfield will again be closed for all aircraft operations, the statement said.
The temporary closure is to allow contractors to access the full length of the runway for reconstruction and resurfacing, the statement said.
As such, it said all passengers who wish to travel between Taro and Honiara will need to catch their flight at Ballalae in the Shortlands or Nusatupe near Gizo and to do so, they will have to travel by outboard motor to the respective airport.
“Passengers will need to make their own arrangements for sea transport between Ballalae or Gizo and Choiseul Bay,” the statement said.
The airport upgrade work is carried out under the Solomon Islands Provincial Airfields Upgrade Project (SI PAU), which will see major infrastructure improvements to the Choiseul Bay and Seghe airports
Meanwhile, work on the new runway is still going on. Once completed, it will accommodate DASH8 aircrafts.
Work started early this year and is expected to be completed later this year.
Reports said the unstable weather condition has also affected work progress.
The project, funded by the Governments of Solomon Islands, New Zealand and Australia, includes sealing of the airstrip and installation of ground lighting to ensure reliable and safe aircraft landing.
The airfield upgrade is implemented by Downer New Zealand.
Throughout 2022, Downer has been working with local firms and communities to prepare the ground for construction, including the transportation of 80,000 tonnes of gravel from Honiara to Seghe and Taro on 22 barge trips.
Ten years ago, when Nusatupe airport underwent upgrade work, people had to travel to Munda to catch their flights to Honiara. Likewise, People travelling from Honiara to Gizo, had to fly to Munda and catch a boat to Gizo.
By MOFFAT MAMU