Housing developments taking place around Papua New Guinea's Jackson International Airport are in breach of Civil Aviation safety rules according to local authorities.
The Civil Aviation Authority has warned that many lives would be lost if an aircraft crashed into housing estates which have developed in recent years without approval.
Photo: RNZI / Koro Vaka'uta
Civil Aviation Safety Authority director and chief executive officer Wilson Sagati said increasing numbers of houses are being built in the flight path of planes using the airport and are in breach of safety rules
Mr Sagati said developers had not complied with rules which state that to construct or alter a structure near the airport requires the Civil Aviation director to be notified.
He said that under the regulations a structure is a risk to airspace if it is 120 metres or higher above ground level.
Mr Sagati said the growth of "obstacles" around an airport would render the runway "unusable".
