President Surangel Whipps Jr. said that the expansion of Palau’s International Airport runway “is a must.”
“It is good for tourism and security reasons,” Whipps said of expanding the airport runway length. The current runway is 9,000 feet long, and Whipps said that it needs to be expanded by another 9,000 feet to 18,000 feet.
“Our partners need to be involved,” Whipps said of the expansion work. According to President Whipps, the short runway affects airline costs, marketing options, and opportunities for adding on new routes and new markets.
Minister Obichang of MPII (Ministry of Public Infrastructure and Industry) said that FAA (US Federal Aviation Agency) had conducted assessments of the airport runway. The airport can be extended either to the west or to the east. “There are available areas to expand the runway, but it will cost a lot of money,” explained Obichang.
Whipps said that the runway could be expanded with all of our partners. He added that everyone would benefit, such as tourism and the military.