Bonriki International Airport

Bonriki International Airport (IATA: TRW, ICAO: NGTA) is an international airport in Kiribati, serving as the main gateway to the country. It is located in its capital, South Tarawa, which is a group of islets in the atoll of Tarawa in the Gilbert Islands, precisely on Bonriki.

Bonriki International Airport
Summary
Airport typePublic
OperatorGovernment
ServesTarawa, Kiribati
LocationBonriki, South Tarawa
Hub for
Elevation AMSL9 ft / 3 m
Coordinates01°22′54″N 173°08′49″E
Websitebonrikiinternational.com
Map
TRW/NGTA
Location of airport in Bonriki , South Tarawa , Kiribati
TRW/NGTA
TRW/NGTA (Oceania)
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
09/27 2,011 6,598 Asphalt
Source: DAFIF[1][2]

Fiji's national carrier, Fiji Airways connects Kiribati with Nadi, which is Fiji Airways' hub and Fiji's main international gateway. Nauru Airlines flies to Nauru International Airport, continuing to Honiara, the capital of Solomon Islands, and further to Brisbane, Australia. This service was suspended from July 2008 to November 2009, but later replaced by the same route with Solomon Airlines (Bonriki-Honiara-Brisbane).[3]

The airport is the hub of the only two Kiribati airlines, flag carrier Air Kiribati and the 2009-established Coral Sun Airways, with both airlines mainly flying domestic routes within the Gilbert Islands. Air Kiribati and Coral Sun Airways both serve all 16 other airports in the Gilbert Islands, but not all these destinations are flown directly from Tarawa. Coral Sun Airways is considering buying another, larger aircraft, capable of flying to the Phoenix Islands and Line Islands. As of 2018, only the Line Islands can be flown to, but these can only be reached by flying via Fiji.

History
Bonriki Airport in January 2016

The airport was built in December 1943 by United States Navy Seabees and was named "Mullinix Field", in honor of Rear Admiral Henry M. Mullinix, who died in the sinking of the USS Liscome Bay on 24 November 1943 after it was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine off the Gilbert Islands.

Almost immediately after the completion of the runway, it became the nexus of United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) operations from Tarawa, as the runway at nearby Hawkins Field on Betio was too short for safe bomber operations. The longer runway at Mullinix became the base for the VII Bomber Command Headquarters, which directed operations against Japanese forces in the Marshall Islands. In addition, the USAAF stationed the B-24 Liberator-equipped 11th Bombardment Group and B-25 Mitchell-equipped 41st Bombardment Group at the airfield.

In April 1944, the land-based units moved forward to Kwajalein Airfield in the Marshall Islands, and shortly thereafter, Mullinix was reduced to an emergency airfield. By the end of the war, the Americans abandoned the facilities and the airfield was turned into a civilian airport. [4] [5] [6]

Facilities
Bonriki International Airport
An Air Kiribati ATR 72 aircraft at Bonriki International Airport

The airport is at an elevation of 9 feet (3 m) above mean sea level. It has one runway designated 09/27 with an asphalt surface measuring 2,011 by 41 metres (6,598 ft × 135 ft).[1]

Airlines and destinations
AirlinesDestinations
Air Kiribati Abaiang, Abemama, Butaritari, Funafuti, Kuria, Maiana, Makin, Marakei, Nonouti, Tabiteuea North
Fiji Airways Nadi[7]
Nauru Airlines Majuro, Nauru[8]
Solomon Airlines Honiara

See also

References
  1. Airport information for NGTA Archived 2011-08-06 at the Wayback Machine from DAFIF (effective October 2006)
  2. Airport information for TRW at Great Circle Mapper. Source: DAFIF (effective October 2006).
  3. "Nauru's airline cooperates with Solomons as fuel price hikes bite". Radio New Zealand International. Retrieved 2008-07-23.
  4.  This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/.
  5. Maurer, Maurer (1983). Air Force Combat Units Of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-89201-092-4.
  6. www.pacificwrecks.com
  7. "Fiji Airways Flight Schedules". Fiji Airways. Retrieved 26 December 2019.
  8. Liu, Jim. "Nauru Airlines network changes from late-Sep 2019". Routesonline. Retrieved 23 September 2019.


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