Around $13 million will be invested into the upgrade of Rotuma Airport to cater for bigger airplanes.

This was revealed by Airports Fiji Limited executive chair, Faiz Khan while presenting their 2015 annual report before the Standing Committee on Social Affairs in Parliament yesterday.

He said a barge loaded with equipment for carrying out the upgrade at the airport arrived on the island on Wednesday.

For the last three decades, Mr Khan said it had been the dream and hope of Rotumans to have their airport runways expanded to cater for bigger airplanes.

He said the contractors were currently in the process of demobilising the equipment before starting the upgrade at Rotuma Airport.

Mr Khan said the airport was expected to be up and running earlier next year.

However, he said one of the challenges they faced in the shipment of upgrade equipment to Rotuma, was because the island was isolated.

Mr Khan said the contractors were trying to find solutions in trying  to get the equipment over to the island.

The bigger aircraft would have a seating capacity 10 times more than the current one.

Mr Khan said this development would connect people on Rotuma closer to the main islands.

He also said that upgrades on Matei Aiport in Taveuni would be completed by the end of next year.

Edited by Jonathan Bryce

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