Suai Airport

The airport is located 4 km (2.5 mi) east of Suai,^[1][2][3] in the southwestern corner of the suco of Labarai [de], which is part of the Suai administrative post.^[9] The airport's runway (16/34) is oriented broadly north–south.^[1][4]

As of 1974 and 1975, Transportes Aéreos de Timor (TAT), the national airline of the then Portuguese Timor, was operating scheduled domestic services from Dili to Covalima/Suai.^[10][11]

A Merpati Nusantara Airlines CASA C-212 Aviocar

In April 1983, an Indonesian State-owned airline, Merpati Nusantara Airlines, started operating a Kupang–Dili–Maliana [id]–Covalima/Suai flight.^[12] In 1985, that service was being flown twice a week.^[12] As of the mid-1990s, Merpati was still flying into Covalima/Suai,^[13] and in mid 1999, Merpati was operating one flight a week on a Dili–Covalima/Suai–Kupang routing, using an Indonesian-built CASA turboprop aircraft.^{[14]: 129–130}

When the Indonesian occupation of East Timor came to an end later that year, the runway at Suai was still only very short.^[14]: 130 During the ensuing INTERFET peacemaking operation, the 17th Construction Squadron of the Australian Army upgraded the airport to support all-weather operations by Lockheed C-130 Hercules aircraft. The runway was extended by 150 metres (490 ft), and a turning node added. Hard stands were provided, along with accommodation, workshops and five helipads.^{[15]: 101–103}

At around that time, the terminal was remodelled and fitted with air conditioning.^[16]

In the lead-up to the airport's upgrading in the mid-2010s, its runway was an 'all weather' asphalt strip 1,053 m (3,455 ft) long and 19.3 m (63 ft) wide that could accommodate aircraft as large as a C-130. In general, the airport was for day time use only, but helicopter operations could be supported at night.^[16]

Timor-Leste's national Strategic Development Plan 2011-2030 identified a need to extend and refurbish the runway and build new modern facilities.^[5]

After a significant upgrading, the airport in its present form was officially inaugurated on 20 June 2017, and named in honour of East Timorese resistance leader and statesman Xanana Gusmão.^[5][17][18] The facilities added during the upgrading included a new sealed runway, a terminal building, a control tower, hangars for five large helicopters and fire fighting equipment.^[18] The Indonesian State-owned enterprise PT Waskita Karya carried out the upgrading, at a total cost of US$86.7 million.^[19]

On 28 September 2018, the airport hosted its first international arrival, a charter flight from Darwin, Australia, operated by Northern Oil & Gas Australia (NOGA).^[20]

As of 2019^[update], the airport was barely being used,^[21] and usually had no more than one flight a day.^[22]

As upgraded, the airport has modern facilities complying with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards for the safe operation of airplanes, light aircraft and helicopters. The facilities include a 1,500 m (4,900 ft) runway, a terminal building, a control tower, a fire station, a meteorological station and a helipad with medevac air ambulance capability.^[5][17]

• List of airports in Timor-Leste
• Transport in Timor-Leste