The exterior of the new building has an axe head-like shape and is decorated with traditional grey and green diamond and scalloped patterns very similar to those you would see on the head of a Mount Hagen axe made by local craftsmen. “We felt it was important to include some local content into the building so we consulted local communities for help.

They suggested the Mount Hagen axe be incorporated into the design, and it soon became the driving element of the design, said Henry Toma, a design consultant with the project.

“Today, if you look at the shape of the building it looks the same as the Hagen axe.” “The axe is an emblem of our ancestors,” said Onda Kiap, a landowner from nearby Kala village.

“This new airport will be a model for PNG’s future airports. We appreciated being consulted on the terminal’s design and the end result reflects our ideas.” — blogs.adb.org/blog