Flight Simulator Flights at ANYN Nauru International Airport

Nauru International Airport is the sole airport on the Pacific island nation of Nauru, sitting on the coastal flats of the Yaren District. It is the home base of Nauru Airlines and the only means of air access to this remote, low-lying atoll, making it a distinctive destination for the long-range VFR or GA pilot.

Overview

Nauru International Airport is the only airport serving the Republic of Nauru, a small phosphate island in the Central Pacific. It is the operating hub of the national carrier, Nauru Airlines, and also hosts the Republic of Nauru Civil Aviation Authority, the Directorate of Immigration and the Nauru Customs Service. For a simulator pilot the appeal lies in its isolation: a single hard-surfaced runway on a tiny island with no alternate airfield anywhere nearby, and a history stretching back to the Japanese wartime occupation.

Airspace & Location

The airport lies in the Yaren District of Nauru, immediately north of a cluster of government buildings including Parliament House, the police station and a secondary school. As the only airfield on the island, all air traffic to and from Nauru funnels through this single field, set on the narrow coastal plain that rings the raised phosphate plateau at the island's centre.

Runways

Nauru International has a single physical runway, 12/30, of hard surface construction and lit. The 12 threshold gives a landing distance of 6,851 feet, while the reciprocal 30 threshold gives 6,658 feet. There is no ILS.

Radio & Navigation

Nauru Radio provides an aerodrome flight information (A/G) service on 118.1 MHz, with an additional information frequency of 126.5 MHz also under the Nauru Radio callsign. No published navaids or instrument approaches are noted for the field.

Visual Reference Points

The airport sits just north of Yaren District's cluster of government buildings, including Parliament House, the police station and Nauru Secondary School, which serve as useful ground references when approaching the field from over the settled southern part of the island.

History

The original airstrip at Nauru was constructed in January 1943 during the Japanese wartime occupation of the island, built using forced labour. After the Second World War it was converted for civilian use and has since grown into the island's sole aerodrome, now home to the head office of Nauru Airlines (formerly Air Nauru).

The Airfield Today

Nauru International Airport remains the only airport in Nauru and functions as the principal hub of Nauru Airlines, which operates regional services to destinations including Brisbane, Koror, Majuro, Nadi, Pohnpei, Suva and Tarawa. The field also houses the offices of Nauru's civil aviation, immigration and customs authorities.