Gurney Airport guide

Gurney Airport serves Alotau, the capital of Milne Bay Province at the eastern tip of mainland Papua New Guinea. It sits near Ladava, about two miles inland from Milne Bay, and is the province's main gateway. Its ICAO code is AYGN. The airport is also known locally as Milne Bay Airport and Gili Gili Airport.

The field began as a wartime strip. The US Army 46th Engineer Regiment started work on 28 June 1942, and a B-26 test landing on 7 August 1942 showed the surface could take medium bombers. It was the first airfield built in the Milne Bay area and the main base during the Battle of Milne Bay. Allied engineers later added a second parallel runway. The field was renamed Gurney Field in September 1942 for RAAF Squadron Leader Charles Gurney, who was killed in action that May. It reopened to civilian traffic in 1966.

Today a single asphalt runway, 09/27, measures 1,690 metres. Air Niugini links the airport with Port Moresby, and in 2021 it began flying Boeing 737s to Gurney three times a week, with Fokker aircraft on other days. PNG Air has also served Port Moresby, Losuia and Misima. No public figures for passengers or aircraft movements were found.