Goroka Airport is one of the best, least corrupt and most reliable in Papua New Guinea! This is though economies of scale and this does not mean it is perfect.
In fact, there are a lot of idiosyncrasies related to flying in and out of Goroka, not least time of year.
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What the Goroka?
While Goroka is a fairly major town in Papua New Guinea, it does only have 20,000 people in the city proper. It is part of Eastern Highlands Province and is on the road between Lae and Mount Hagen.
There is bugger all to do here outside of the Goroka Festival, at which time the place is a bit of a shit show. Yeah, we will talk about that later.
Vital Stats
- Airport name: Goroka Airport
- IATA code: GKA
- ICAO code: AYGA
- Location: Goroka, Eastern Highlands Province, Papua New Guinea
- Elevation: 1,585 metres
- Runway: 17R/35L
- Runway length: 1,646 metres
- Runway surface: Asphalt
- Airport type: State Owned
- Operator: National Airports Corporation
- Normal operating hours: 8:00am to 5:00pm
- Largest aircraft category: Dash 8
- Terminal: Domestic
- Airport contact: +675 532 1260
- Email: AOM_Goroka@nac.com.pg
What is there to do at Goroka Airport?
OK, so the first thing you do is have your bags checked outside of the airport because the X-ray machine is not, and is never, working. Inside, the queue is always large before you get to the actual departures.
The inside is very nice, courtesy of a $30 million revamp by the Japanese. There are technically cafes here, but only two are open and they have cock all food.
Of these, Lolas Cafe is the best as it has cold drinks and pot noodles. There are no pies at Goroka Airport. There is though actually a decent amount of street food in Goroka and at the airport, but the area and Kai Bar’s are a bit sketchy.
Idiosyncrasies of Goroka Airport
Generally, the airport is much less corrupt than, say, Port Moresby, but that is partly just because it is less busy. Flights though which start at 9.30 are frequently delayed and/or cancelled. This is where local contacts or paying people off helps. There are sometimes staff asking for bribes. Please say no here.
Oh, and when the Goroka Show is on, getting a flight is basically impossible. This is why we as a company use Mount Hagen, as well as Lae, to get our people out after the show.
Where can you fly to from Goroka Airport?
You can fly to Port Moresby ONLY and on the only two airlines. These are Air Niugini and PNG Air.
The usual flights are:
- Air Niugini: around 9:30am
- PNG Air: around 9:45am
- Air Niugini: around 12:20pm
- Air Niugini: around 4:50pm
- PNG Air: around 5:25pm
Obviously, these are the “usual services” and schedules can and bloody well do change.
So, overall neither a bad, nor a good airport, but merely a PNG one.
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