Harman Patil (Editor)

Jacquinot Bay Airport

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Airport type
  
Public

16/34
  
1,715

Address
  
Malmal, Papua New Guinea

Code
  
JAQ

Elevation AMSL
  
210 ft / 64 m

1,715
  
5,627

Elevation
  
64 m

Jacquinot Bay Airport

Location
  
Jacquinot Bay, Papua New Guinea

Jacquinot Bay Airport (IATA: JAQ, ICAO: AYJB) is an airport near Jacquinot Bay in the East New Britain Province on the island of New Britain in Papua New Guinea. The airstrip was liberated by the Australian Army in 1944, and an airstrip was built by 1945. There is no scheduled airline service.

Contents

World War II

The Jacquinot Bay area was liberated by the Australian Army on 4 November 1944. The 2/3 Railway Construction Company and the 17th Field Company RAE began construction of an airfield and in February 1945, No. 1 Airfield Construction Squadron expanded the base. The airfield had a single coral 100 by 6,100 feet (30 m × 1,859 m) runway.

Royal Australian Air Force units based here included:

  • No. 79 Squadron operating Mark VIII Spitfires
  • Royal New Zealand Air Force units based here included:

  • No. 2 Squadron operating Lockheed Venturas from June–September 1945
  • No. 16 Squadron operating F4Us from August–October 1945
  • No. 19 Squadron operating F4Us from June–October 1945
  • No. 20 Squadron operating F4Us from May–August 1945
  • No. 21 Squadron operating F4Us from May–July 1945
  • Following the Japanese surrender several Japanese aircraft were flown from Vunakanau Airfield to Jacquinot Bay Airfield.

    Postwar

    On 15 November 1945 an RAAF C-47 #13339 crashed into a mountain on a flight from Jacquinot Bay to Rabaul, all 28 passengers and crew were killed.

    Facilities

    The airport has one runway which measures 1,715 metres (5,627 ft) in length.

    References

    Jacquinot Bay Airport Wikipedia