Munda Airport
Munda, Solomon Islands
Munda International Airport (IATA: MUA, ICAO: AGGM) is an international airport adjacent to the town of Munda, Western Province in Solomon Islands. Originally built by Japanese forces during World War II and further developed by the U. S. Naval Construction Battalions 24 and 73 following its capture. After the war, the airfield became a commercial airport for regional flights. In 2013, a US$20 million New Zealand government aid and development project significantly modernized and repaired the air strip, which was in disrepair. The upgrade included the removal of a large amount of unexploded ordnance left behind by vacating Japanese and US forces. In 2019, $6 million in further upgrades were funded by the New Zealand government in order to upgrade the airport to international standards, allowing the airport to receive international flights. The main economic purpose of the upgrade is to serve as an alternate field for international flights to Honiara International Airport, significantly reducing the fuel load and improving the economics of the flight. For example, prior to the Munda upgrade, a flight from Brisbane to Honiara had to carry sufficient fuel to return to Brisbane because
Airport data from the OpenFlights open database.