After a long wait, repair work on the Tokua Airport runway in Kokopo District, East New Britain province, commenced on Tuesday the 27th of February this year. The airport according to a statement from the ENB Provincial Administration, is currently undergoing pavement repairs and an overlaying of asphalt on the 300 meters by 12m damaged part (pothole) of the 1, 720-meter runway, that was believed to have been caused around the early 2000s as heavier aircraft were introduced to Tokua airport. It is reported that since then, the damaged part of the runway has reduced its length, and thus downgraded the services to smaller planes like Dash 8 and Q400 for Air Niugini and similar planes for PNG Air and other operators. Maintenance work is being carried out on the central part of the runway by Hebou Constructions Limited and will take 4 months to be completed, depending on the weather conditions. ENB Governor Honorable Michael Marum and Gazelle MP & Minister for Fisheries Honorable Jelta Wong were on hand for a site inspection on Wednesday February the 28th. The reconstruction work covers excavation of pavement, construction of cement treated base course pavement, asphalt overlay and grooving, runway line markings and drainage improvement. National Airports Corporation (NAC) Tokua Operations Manager Russell Paliai said that the runway repair is on stage one which will cover a length of 850 meters by 12 meters width and will take a duration of 6 weeks. “The runway is reduced by 850 meters, and we are only expecting Dash 8 to land. The first stage involves the removal of the old asphalt, then the laying of cement, followed by placing of newer asphalt.” “Hebou Construction Ltd shipped the asphalt materials from Port Moresby and the asphalt plant and pugmill from Lae for the maintenance work on the Tokua airport runway.” The repair work is aimed at fixing the damages on the 1,720-meter runway, and to build a stronger pavement that is durable and can withstand the weight of planes. Meanwhile the National Airports Corporation is funding the reconstruction of the runway at a tune of K12 million and expect the project to be completed by June this year.