The runway pavement upgrade at Rotuma Airport has been successfully completed ahead of schedule. Mesake Nawari, the Chief Executive of Fiji Airports, praised the contractor, Flame Tree Development (Fiji) Pte Ltd, for their excellent work, which has enhanced the safety features of the runway.
Recently, the Fiji Airports projects team visited the island to observe the completion of the project and the official handover from the contractors. Nawari emphasized the importance of the runway maintenance to operations and expressed gratitude to the contractors for finishing the project ahead of time. He also thanked the customers and stakeholders for their support during the two-week maintenance period, noting that flight operations remained uninterrupted.
The runway upgrade included landslip remediation, shoulder resealing, and fence improvement. Nawari highlighted that the project timeline was developed in consultation with relevant stakeholders before starting.
Earlier this year, Fiji Airports announced a $10 million investment for runway maintenance projects across five of its 14 outer island stations, including Rotuma. This initiative reflects the company’s commitment to maintaining government-owned airports in outer islands.
Nawari stated that Fiji Airports will continue discussions with the Government for further funding to improve facilities at outer island airports and Nausori, noting that the maintenance work at the five airports is fully financed by Fiji Airports.
Rotuma Airport is one of the 14 airports managed by Fiji Airports. Gagaj Manav, Chairman of the Rotuma Island Council, expressed appreciation for the work done on the runway and acknowledged the contractors. After a brief introduction to airport operations, the council and local chiefs were given a tour of the runway, apron, and taxiway.