Kaiapit Airport

Military abandonment. Kaiapit Airport was a temporary wartime airfield constructed for a specific strategic purpose during the New Guinea Campaign of WWII. With the cessation of hostilities and the Allied advance moving far beyond the region, the airfield lost its military necessity. It was not economically viable to maintain for civilian purposes, especially given its remote location and the proximity of the larger, more developed Nadzab Airfield, and was subsequently abandoned and left to revert to nature.

The airport is completely abandoned and non-operational. Satellite imagery of the coordinates (-6.275, 146.27) clearly shows the faint but distinct outline of the former runway, which is now heavily overgrown with grass and shrubs. The land has reverted to local community use, appearing as open grassland with some evidence of small-scale gardening or subsistence farming. There are no remaining airport buildings or infrastructure. The ICAO code PG-0138 is a non-official identifier used in some databases to catalogue historical airfields; it is not an active, official ICAO code.

Kaiapit Airport holds significant historical importance as a key Allied forward airbase during the World War II New Guinea Campaign.

1. **Capture and Construction:** The site was the location of a small Japanese-used landing strip. It was captured by the Australian 2/16th Infantry Battalion on September 20, 1943, during the Battle of Kaiapit, a pivotal engagement in the Markham and Ramu Valley – Finisterre Range campaign.

2. **Strategic Role:** Following its capture, U.S. Army Aviation Engineers rapidly developed it into an all-weather airfield. It became a critical forward operating base for the U.S. Fifth Air Force and the Royal Australian Air Force.

3. **Operations:** The airport was vital for the Allied advance. It primarily handled Douglas C-47 Skytrain (Dakota) transport aircraft, which flew in thousands of troops, heavy equipment, and essential supplies. It also served as a base for evacuating wounded soldiers. Fighter and light bomber aircraft also operated from Kaiapit to provide air support for ground troops pushing through the Ramu Valley towards the northern coast of New Guinea. Its operation was crucial for bypassing and neutralizing Japanese strongholds and maintaining the momentum of the Allied campaign.

There are no known plans or prospects for reopening Kaiapit Airport. Its strategic military purpose is obsolete, and there is no modern economic or logistical justification for its redevelopment. Aviation services for the Morobe Province are centered at the significantly larger and more modern Nadzab Airport (AYNZ), which is currently undergoing major upgrades to become Papua New Guinea's primary airport. The remote location, lack of infrastructure, and high cost of rehabilitation make any potential reopening of Kaiapit extremely unlikely.