Lae Nadzab Airport

For the airport in the Marshall Islands, see Lae Airport. For the World War II airfield in Morobe Province, see Lae Airfield.

Lae Nadzab Airport
IATA: LAE – ICAO: AYNZ LAE Location of airport in Papua New Guinea
Summary
Airport type		Public
Operator		Papua New Guinea Office of Civil Aviation
Location		Lae / Nadzab, Papua New Guinea
Elevation AMSL		239 ft / 73 m
Coordinates		06°34′11″S 146°43′34″E
Runways
Direction	Length		Surface
	ft	m
09/27	8,004	2,440	Asphalt
Source: DAFIF

Lae Nadzab Airport (IATA: LAE, ICAO: AYNZ) is a regional airport located in Lae, Papua New Guinea. It is served by regional aircraft with domestic flight.

Airlines and destinations

Airlines	Destinations
Air Niugini	Hoskins, Madang, Manus Island, Mount Hagen, Port Moresby
Airlines PNG	Mount Hagen, Port Moresby
North Coast Aviation	Bulolo, Finschhafen, Kabwum, Lablab, Omora, Satwag Wau, Yalumet

History

Main article: Landing at Nadzab

Nadzab Airfield was built by the United States Army during World War II and was developed into a massive airbase complex. It was home to many United States Army Air Forces and Royal Australian Air Force units during the war when it was a forward base of operations against Japanese positions, and was vital afterwards as a staging area.

Two parallel runways were built, running roughly east to west. Number 1 Strip was located to the north. Parallel and to the south was Number 2 Strip, closest to the Markham River. Towards the end of the war, the 21st Air Depot Unit at Nadzab began to manage a storage and reclamation area for excess Allied aircraft and salvage area for repairs. The CRTC (Combat Replacement Training Center) flew out of the base into 1945 until it was turned over to the New Guinea government.

The airfield was underutilized after the war until the mid-to-late 1970s. Until that time, live ammunition could still be found at the airfield. Today, the former 'East Base' or No. 1 & No. 2 runways are still in use by Air Niugini and for civil aviation, mainly servicing Lae which is 45 km away. Nearly every road in the area was built by American forces, and one can still see World War II era taxiways in the overgrown areas outside the modern landing area.

Allied units assigned to Nadzab

• Headquarters, Fifth Air Force (15 June – 10 August 1944)
• Headquarters, V Bomber Command (21 February – 15 August 1944)
• Headquarters, V Fighter Command (January–July 1944)

• 91st Reconnaissance Wing (30 March – 10 August 1944)
• 54th Troop Carrier Wing (18 April – 5 October 1944)

• 3d Bombardment Group (3 February – 12 May 1944)

Headquarters, 89th, 90th Bomb Squadrons, A-20 Havoc

• 22d Bombardment Group (13 January – 11 August 1944)

Headquarters, 2d, 19th, 33d, 408th Bomb Squadrons, B-26 Marauder, B-25 Mitchell

• 38th Bombardment Group (4 March – 1 October 1944)

Headquarters, 71st, 405th, 822d, 823d Bomb Squadrons, B-25 Mitchell

• 43d Bombardment Group (4 March – 2 July 1944)

Headquarters, 64th, 65th, 403d Bomb Squadrons, B-24 Liberator

• 90th Bombardment Group (23 February – 10 August 1944)

Headquarters, 319th, 320th, 321st, 400th Bomb Squadrons, B-24 Liberator

• 345th Bombardment Group (16 February – July 1944)

Headquarters, 499th Bomb Squadron

• 8th Fighter Group (14 March – 17 June 1944)

Headquarters, 6th, 35th, 36th Fighter Squadrons, P-47 Thunderbolt, some P-40 Warhawks

• 35th Fighter Group (5 October 1943 – 7 February 1944)

Headquarters, 39th FS, P-47 Thunderbolt, 41st FS, P-39 Airacobra, P-47 Thunderbolt

• 475th Fighter Group (24 March – 15 May 1944)

• 6th Reconnaissance Group (17 February – August 1944)

Headquarters, 8th, 20th, 25th, Recon/Photo Squadrons (F-7, F-5)

• 71st Reconnaissance Group (20 January – 8 August 1944)
• 374 Troop Carrier Group (1 September – 14 October 1944)

Headquarters, 6th, 21st Troop Carrier Squadrons, C-47 Skytrain

• 375th Troop Carrier Group (1 September – 14 October 1944)
• 433d Troop Carrier Group (25 August 1943 – 17 October 1944)

Headquarters, 65th, 66th, 67th, 68th, 70th Troop Carrier Squadrons, C-47 Skytrain

• 421st Night Fighter Squadron (27 January – 28 June 1944)

Accidents and incidents

• On 18 November 1987, Douglas C-47B Skytrain P2-006 of the Papua New Guinea Defence Force was damaged beyond repair in an emergency landing shortly after take-off. An engine had lost power and a wing was ripped of in the subsequent belly landing.

See also

• United States Army Air Forces in the South West Pacific Theatre

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.

External links

• Morobe Tourist Bureau airline page
• Current weather for AYNZ at NOAA/NWS
• Accident history for LAE at Aviation Safety Network