Momote Airport

Momote Airport
IATA: MAS – ICAO: AYMO
MAS
Location of airport in Papua New Guinea
Summary
Airport type Public
Location Los Negros Island, Papua New Guinea
Elevation AMSL 12 ft / 4 m
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
16/34 1,870 6,136 Asphalt
Source: DAFIF[1][2]

Momote Airport (IATA: MAS, ICAO: AYMO) is an airport on Los Negros Island in the Admiralty Islands, Papua New Guinea. It also serves Manus Island, which is connected to Los Negros by a bridge.

Contents

History

Hayne Airfield

Built by the Imperial Japanese at Momote during World War II. Known as Hyane Airfield by the Japanese, as they called Los Negros, Hayne Island. The runway was 4,100 feet (1,200 m) long x 300 feet (91 m) wide with three taxiways and 12 revetments under construction.

Occupied on 2 March 1944 by the US Army's 1st Cavalry Division as part of the Battle of Los Negros, which was part of the Admiralty Islands campaign.

Japanese Units based at Hayne Airfield

Momote Airfield

After liberating the airfield on 2 March 1944, the 40th Naval Construction Battalion repaired the airfield and the airfield became operational on 18 May 1944, although fighters were landing at the airfield only two days after occupation. The single runway was extended to 7,800 feet (2,400 m) long x 130 feet (40 m) wide with 75 feet (23 m) foot shoulders, constructed with a coral base with marsden matting covering 1,000 feet (300 m) at the ends of the runway. A 7,000 barrel fuel depot was set up at the airfield. The United States Navy established Aviation Repair and Overhaul Unit No.1 (AROU 1) in the spring of 1944 on Momote Airfield between Seeadler Harbor and the Bismarck Sea on Los Negros Island. AROU 1 conducted maintenance and testing of naval aircraft and supplied aircraft to naval forces for major assaults as far away as the Philippine Islands.

Allied Units Based at Momote Airfield

Facilities

The airport resides at an elevation of 12 feet (4 m) above mean sea level. It has one runway designated 16/34 with an asphalt surface measuring 1,870 by 45 metres (6,135 × 148 ft).[1]

Airlines and destinations

Airlines Destinations
Air Niugini Kavieng, Lae, Port Moresby

See also

References

United States Air Force portal
Military of the United States portal
World War II portal

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

  1. ^ a b Airport information for AYMO from DAFIF (effective October 2006)
  2. ^ Airport information for MAS at Great Circle Mapper. Source: DAFIF (effective Oct. 2006).

External links