Komo Airfield, PNG

MCJV, a joint venture between McConnell Dowell and Consolidated Contractors Company, completed the procurement and construction of the 3.2km Komo Airfield for the PNG LNG project, the largest airfield within Papau New Guinea. Located in the Hela Province and nestled within the highlands of PNG, the airfield was constructed at Komo, just 22km from the Hides Gas Plant. Construction of the Airfield accommodates Dash 8 operations and landing of the Antonov AN124, the largest airplane in the world. Major challenges on the project included the logistics faced in transporting the project's equipment up the winding highlands highway crossing many older bridges and through rocky terrain. In addition, almost 8 million cubic metres of earthworks was required to provide the appropriate levels for the airfield with fills varying from 30m deep to 30m cut requiring extensive machinery and earth removal. The weather also provided a major obstacle during construction with approximately five metres of rain falling annually within the Komo area. The culmination of years of effort saw the first Antonov successfully touchdown on 3 May 2013 ready to offload the first of 88 scheduled runs. The MCJV Komo Airfield project is an outstanding example of how a world-class project can be successfully undertaken and delivered in remote inaccessible terrain.