Nissan Island Airport

Nissan Island Airport
IATA: IIS ICAO: AYIA
Summary
Location	Nissan Island, Papua New Guinea
Elevation AMSL	100 ft / 30 m
Coordinates	4°30′00″S 154°13′35.76″E / 4.50000°S 154.2266000°E / -4.50000; 154.2266000
Map
Nissan Location of airport in Papua New Guinea
Runways
Direction Length Surface m ft 14/32 1,200 3,937
Source: PNG Airstrip Guide

Nissan Island Airport (IATA: IIS, ICAO: AYIA) is an airfield serving Nissan Island, in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville in Papua New Guinea. It resides at an elevation of 100 feet (30 m) above mean sea level and has a 1,200-metre (3,937 ft) runway designated 14/32.

The New Zealand 3rd Division landed on Nissan Island on 15 February 1944 as part of the Solomon Islands campaign. The U.S. Navy 22nd Construction Regiment landed with the New Zealanders and began building support facilities. Work on a fighter airstrip began on 20 February and by 5 March a coral-surfaced 5,000 feet (1,500 m) by 150 feet (46 m) fighter runway known as Lagoon Airfield was ready for use and aircraft carried out the first attack on Kavieng. In late March a parallel 6,000 feet (1,800 m) by 150 feet (46 m) bomber runway known as Ocean Airfield was ready for use, it was later lengthened to 7,300 feet (2,200 m). Additional airfield facilities such as road and taxiways and a tank farm were also constructed. Construction had been extremely difficuly with dense foliage and large trees needing to be removed, rock blasting was necessary, and all coral used for filling had to be quarried at distant locations.

US Navy units based at Nissan Island included:

USMC units based at Nissan Island included:

Royal New Zealand Air Force units based at Nissan Island included:

In late 1944 airfield roll-up activities were commenced and were completed by August 1945.

Lagoon Airfield was abandoned after the war, while Ocean Airfield remained in use as a civilian airfield.