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Ti'avea

Coordinates: 13°59′23.36″S 171°28′8.5″W / 13.9898222°S 171.469028°W / -13.9898222; -171.469028
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Ti'avea is a village on the island of Upolu in Samoa. It is situated inland in the north east of the island in the political district of Atua, and forms part of the Aleipata Itupa i lalo Electoral Constituency (Faipule District).[1]

The population is 826.[2]

Airport project

In 2018 the Samoan Government announced plans for an airport with a 1000 meter runway to be constructed at Ti'avea. An initial tender for $1.3 million for construction was announced, resulting in a scandal when associate minister Peseta Vaifou Tevaga was revealed to be a part-owner of the winning company.[3][4] In October 2018 the government threatened to halt construction when local villagers demanded compensation for use of their land.[5] In April 2019 the village council and three families agreed to lease 26 hectares of customary land for the project in exchange for a $4 million payment.[6][7] In June 2019 the contractor discovered problems with flooding, forcing the installation of culverts. The government admitted that the site had been chosen because of its clear flight paths, and that no other investigation had bene done.[8] In October 2019 the government announced that the airport would be used primarily for emergency landings from Fagali'i Airport, and revealed that the land chosen was a swamp.[9][10] In January 2020 the government announced that the cost of the project had increased by $3 million;[11] it later admitted that this variation had not been tendered and had also been awarded to Peseta Vaifou Tevaga's company.[12] In April 2020, following the closure of Fagali'i, it announced that the project had been expanded to become a full international airport to provide an alternative to Faleolo International Airport.[13] Later that month villagers agreed to relocate homes and graves to provide further space for the project.[14][15]

In August 2020 an investigation revealed that the 956m runway was nearly three times too short to be used by passenger jets, with an international expert saying that Ti'avea "would not pass muster as a general aviation airport, much less an air carrier airport".[16] Other experts criticised the lack of a control tower, fuel, and other facilities, calling the airport "a bit of land that they made into a super roadway" and alleging that it was constructed for "the political gain of a selected few".[16] The Samoa Airports Authority responded by saying that the airport was never designed to service jet aircraft and that the project was not intended as a backup for Faleolo.[17]

The tender to lay runway asphalt was awarded in February 2021,[18] but work was stopped after the 2021 Samoan general election.[19] As of April 2022 the site was abandoned, with the runway being overtaken by grass.[19] In July 2022 Minister of Finance Mulipola Anarosa Ale Molioo announced that the project would be the subject of a "forensic audit".[20]

References

  1. ^ "Electoral Constituencies Act 2019" (PDF). Parliament of Samoa. 31 January 2019. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
  2. ^ "Census 2016 Preliminary count" (PDF). Samoa Bureau of Statistics. p. 13. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
  3. ^ "Samoan minister involved with tender-winning company". RNZ. 25 September 2018. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
  4. ^ Joyetter Feagaimaali’i-Luamanu (25 September 2018). "Peseta a major shareholder in company that won Airport contract". Samoa Observer. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
  5. ^ "Planned Samoa airstrip under threat". RNZ. 11 October 2018. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
  6. ^ Joyetter Feagaimaali'i (25 April 2019). "Ti'avea airport cost increases to $14 million". Samoa Observer. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
  7. ^ "Samoa village endorses lease agreement for new airport". RNZ. 26 April 2019. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
  8. ^ Matai'a Lanuola Tusani T - Ah Tong (15 June 2019). "Flooding concerns at Ti'avea Airport". Samoa Observer. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
  9. ^ Joyetter Feagaimaali'i (14 October 2019). "New $14m Ti'avea Airport to cater for 'emergency landings'". Samoa Observer. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
  10. ^ "Samoa's new airport to be built on swampland". RNZ. 16 October 2019. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
  11. ^ Matai'a Lanuola Tusani T - Ah Tong (25 January 2020). "Minister confirms $3 million variation for Ti'avea Airport". Samoa Observer. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
  12. ^ Joyetter Feagaimaali'i (16 April 2020). "$3 million variation for Ti'avea Airport not tendered, Minister confirms". Samoa Observer. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
  13. ^ Joyetter Feagaimaali'i (3 April 2020). "Ti'avea to become alternative international airport". Samoa Observer. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
  14. ^ Soli Wilson (17 April 2020). "Ti'avea makes way for airport". Samoa Observer. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
  15. ^ "Homes and graves to be relocated to make way for airport in Samoa". RNZ. 22 April 2020. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
  16. ^ a b Soli Wilson (21 August 2020). "Ti'avea Airport falls short; "makes no sense"". Samoa Observer. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
  17. ^ Mata'afa Keni Lesa (25 August 2020). "Airport Manager responds to Ti'avea concerns". Samoa Observer. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
  18. ^ Soli Wilson (4 February 2021). "Ti'avea Airport phase one nears completion". Samoa Observer. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
  19. ^ a b Matai'a Lanuola Tusani T - Ah Tong (22 April 2022). "$17 million Ti'avea Airport in limbo". Samoa Observer. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
  20. ^ Lagi Keresoma (11 July 2022). "Are there still existing records for the Forensic Audit Investigation – Tuilaepa". Talamua. Retrieved 13 August 2022.

13°59′23.36″S 171°28′8.5″W / 13.9898222°S 171.469028°W / -13.9898222; -171.469028

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