There are currently a number of regional airstrips throughout the Republic of Vanuatu that are in desperate need of repairs and upgrading to assist people in these outlying areas to have greater freedom of movement and also to assist in disaster management should the need arise
This is true of many areas of the South Pacific and our aim is to evaluate and upgrade airstrips throughout the region
Quoin Hill
At various times Bauerfield Airport, the main international airport for Port Vila, the capital of Vanuatu, is unusable due to weather conditions. Bauerfield, due to it’s location is unable to be extended to allow for larger aircraft, hence to proposed Luganville airport upgrade.
North of Port Vila is an old WW2 Fighter plane airfield, currently unusable. This site would be ideal as a secondary airfield for Port Vila as it can be extended for some larger aircraft, and Quoin Hill can be open all year except for rare extreme weather conditions.
Adjacent to the Quoin Hill airport are geothermal hot springs and a study has already been carried out to utilise these, in conjunction with a solar bank, to provide electrical power instead of the existing outdated diesel generators in current use.