Airport Overview
Whitegrass Airport, also known as White Grass Airport or Tanna Airport, is an airport on the island of Tanna in Tafea Province.
There is a fuel depot beside the airport, but refuelling service is only available for the Twin Otter and BN-2 Islander. ATR and bigger planes must carry enough fuel to return to Bauerfield International Airport on Efate Island for refuelling.
Airport Location and Contact |
|
---|---|
Country |
Vanuatu |
Province or District |
Tanna Island, Tafea Province |
Nearest Town or City |
Lenakel 8 km |
Airport’s Complete Name |
Whitegrass Airport |
Latitude |
-19.45483 |
Longitude |
169.22367 |
Elevation (ft and m) |
27 ft |
IATA Code |
TAH |
ICAO Code |
NVVW |
Managing Company or Airport Authority |
Airports Vanuatu Limited |
Management Contact Person |
Kevin Abel Group Head Air Navigation Services P: +678 25111 ext. 125 M: +678 5547402 |
Open From (hours) |
0800 hours |
Open To (hours) |
1700 hours |
Airport Picture
Description and Contacts of Key Companies
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Civil Aviation Authority of Vanuatu (CAAV): CAAV is a statutory body under the Ministry of Infrastructure and Public Utilities which oversees all aspects of Vanuatu’s civil aviation system including regulating access to all airports. CAAV provides regulatory services on aviation security and safety standards in Vanuatu and is also the primary regulator of autonomous flying drone operations within Vanuatu airspace.
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Airports Vanuatu Limited (AVL): AVL is a public company and is the owner and operator of the Whitegrass International Airport. With an employee base of about 60, AVL’s mandate is to deliver safe, secure and compliant aviation at their airports in Vanuatu.
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Vanuatu Terminal Services (VTS): VTS is a subsidiary company of AVL and is a private company incorporated under the Vanuatu Companies Act. VTS services include ground handling, cargo handling and storage, aircraft engineering, freight forwarding, custom brokerage and luggage storage.
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Air Vanuatu: National airline and operates domestic and international flights to and from Whitegrass International Airport. Services includes ground handling, cargo handling and storage, aircraft engineering, freight forwarding and luggage storage for its flights.
For more information on airport contacts, please see the following link: 4.5 Airport Companies Contact List.
Information on some aviation service providers can be found at: http://www.azfreight.com/
Passenger and Cargo Performance Indicator
Performance for 2022
|
Per Year |
Per Month |
Per Day |
---|---|---|---|
Total Aircraft Movements |
468 |
39 |
Varies |
Total Passengers |
54,870 |
4,573 |
Varies |
Current use by Humanitarian Flights (PHAS) |
0 |
|
|
The airport currently receives twin otters, BN-2 Islander and the ATR 72-600.
Runways
Runway |
|
---|---|
Runway Dimensions |
1,230 m x 30 m |
Orientation |
15 / 33 |
Surface |
Asphalt |
Helicopter Pad(s)
There is no designated helipad site however, helicopters can land on the fixed wing parking space and there is ample grass area surrounding the runway.
Helipad |
|
---|---|
Present |
Yes |
Largest Helicopter that can land |
No limit |
Width and Length (m) |
N/A |
Surface |
Asphalt and grass |
Airport Infrastructure Details
Customs |
No |
JET A-1 fuel – for Twin Otter only |
Yes |
Immigration |
No |
AVGAS 100 – for BN-2 Islander |
Yes |
Terminal Building |
Yes |
Single Point Refuelling (using drums) |
Yes |
Passenger Terminal |
Yes |
Air Starter Units |
No |
Cargo terminal |
Yes |
Ground Power (mobile) |
No |
Pax Transport to Airfield |
No |
Ground Handling Services |
Yes |
Control Tower |
Yes |
Latrine Servicing |
No |
Weather Facilities |
Yes |
Fire Fighting Category (ICAO) |
4 |
Catering Services |
No |
De-icing Equipment |
N/A |
Base Operating Room |
Yes |
Parking Ramp Lighting |
Yes |
Airport Radar |
No |
Approach & Runway Lights |
Yes |
Non-directional Beacons (NDB) |
Yes |
Very High Frequency Omni-Directional Range (VOR) |
No |
Instrument Landing System (ILS) |
No |
|
|
Airport Operating Details
Operating Details |
|||
---|---|---|---|
Maximum Sized Aircraft that can be Offloaded on Bulk Cargo |
ATR 72-600 |
||
Maximum Sized Aircraft that can be Offloaded on Pallet |
ATR 72-600 |
||
Total Aircraft Parking Area (m²) |
2 x ATR 72-600 |
||
Storage Area (m3 and MT) |
Only for Air Vanuatu cargo – 4m x 3m room |
||
Handling Equipment |
|||
Elevators / Hi Loaders |
No |
Max Capacity (MT) |
|
Max Height (m) |
|
||
Loading Ramps |
No |
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Other Comments |
|
Customs Guidance
If needed, Customs and Biosecurity officers can come to the airport for clearance. Their tasks include cargo clearance processing, documentary checks on import and export documents, physical examination of imports and exports, receipting of customs duties and taxes on imported goods and regular reporting to the Manager Customs Revenue.
It is recommended to arrange cargo inspections and clearances in advance of the cargo landing.
Documents required by Customs for clearance of relief items:
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Tax exemption letter from the National Disaster Management Office (NDMO)
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Commercial invoices
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Freight statements
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Other charges statements
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Packing lists
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Bills of lading
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Cargo manifest
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Sanitary or phytosanitary certificate (where required)
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Airway bills
The role of raising and lodging customs declarations for the clearance of goods is vested on customs agents licensed by Customs. However, regular importers who hold a valid Broker’s license can do their own clearances. For relief items whereby NDMO has received prior advice and full documentation, NDMO will engage Vanuatu Terminal Services for clearance.
Important to note that when sending relief items, only relief items are to be included in the package, packing list/cargo manifest, tax exemption letter from NDMO, etc. No personal items are to be included as personal items are not tax exempt.
Customs have established a standard cargo clearance processing time as follows:
-
Maximum of 3 working days for declaration of goods selected for physical examination – Red Lane
-
Maximum of 2 working days for declaration of goods selected for documentary examination – Yellow Lane
-
5-10 minutes for declarations directly assessed – Green Lane
Physical and documentary examinations are conducted by Customs officials when circumstances of imports and exports pose certain level of risks to the government revenue and border security.
Physical and documentary examinations are done at the point of cargo clearance on red and yellow lanes. Compliance auditing is done post-clearance i.e. after goods are cleared and released from Customs control.
For more information on customs in Vanuatu, please see the following link: 1.3 Customs Information.
Storage Facilities
There are no storage facilities available at the airport to manage an emergency response situation. A mobile storage unit would need to be erected in the grassy area.
Airfield Costs
NAVIGATION CHARGES
Charges |
Aircraft Weight - MTOW (kg) |
||
---|---|---|---|
|
0 - 20,000 kg |
20,001 - 60,000 kg |
Over 60,000 kg |
Navigation (per journey) |
|
|
|
Landing |
VUV 385.00 |
VUV 533.50 |
VUV 803.00 |
Night Landing |
VUV 16,500 |
||
Night Take-Off |
VUV 16,500 |
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Parking |
|
||
Handling Charges |
Ground handling and border control services have their own fee schedule. For more details, please contact them directly. |
FUEL SERVICES CHARGES
There is a fuel depot beside the airport, but refuelling service is only available for the Twin Otter and BN-2 Islander. ATR and bigger planes must carry enough fuel to return to Bauerfield International Airport on Efate Island for refuelling.
|
Price per Litre USD - $ |
---|---|
JET A1 |
VUV 215 (USD 1.76) |
AVGAS |
VUV 291 (USD 2.39) |
CARGO TERMINAL CHARGES
Import Charges |
||
---|---|---|
Type of Charge |
Rate USD - $ per kg |
Comments |
Handling Charge |
Forklift usage: VUV 700 (USD 5.90) / kg VUV 1,500 (USD 12.65) / kg VUV 2,000 (USD 16.87) / kg VUV 2,500 (USD 21.09) / kg (Increased by VUV 700 (USD 5.90) for every 500 kg)
Terminal handling charges: VUV 1,100 (USD 9.28) up to 28 kg
VUV 8,000 (USD 67.47) / AWB VUV 2,500 (USD21.09) / AWB |
75 kg – 499 kg 500 kg – 999 kg 1,000 kg – 1,499 kg 1,500 kg – 1,999 kg
Minimum charge per consignment Valuable (VAT incl.) AVI (VAT incl.) |
Break Bulk Fee |
VUV 40 (USD 0.34) / kg |
|
|
VUV 30 (USD 0.25) / kg |
|
Strong Room – per consignment |
Information not available |
|
Cold Storage Fee |
VUV 1,300 (USD 10.96) / hour
VUV 250 (USD 2.11) / hour
VUV 25 (USD 0.21) / kg |
Cool room (special storage) Fridge (special storage) Handling of cargo for cool room storage and removal |
Delivery Outside Normal Working Hours |
Information not available |
|
Import Documentation Fee |
VUV 5,500 (USD 46.39) – VAT incl.
VUV 2,000 (USD 16.87) – VAT incl.
VUV 3,600 (USD 30.36) – VAT incl.
VUV 700 (USD 5.90) – VAT incl. |
Process of imports documents by Master Air Waybill with multiple HAWB Process of imports documents by Master Air Waybill with single HAWB Dummy Air Waybill issuance – per Air Waybill Electronic processing and reporting of manifest to Customs |
Storage per Day |
General cargo, perishable and vaccines: Free
VUV 30 (USD 0.25) / kg
|
Loose freight – up to 24 hours from 2359 hours on the date of check-in Loose freight – beyond free period |
Export |
||
Handling Charges – Un-palletized Cargo |
Terminal handling charges: VUV 1,100 (USD 9.28) up to 28 kg
VUV 40 (USD 0.34) / kg |
Minimum charge per consignment Loose freight |
International Air Waybill |
Information not available |
|
Local Air Waybill |
Information not available |
|
Air Waybill Amendment - Cancellation |
Information not available |
|
Air Waybill Documentation |
Information not available |
|
|
VUV 40 (USD 0.34) / kg |
|
Storage Charges per Day |
General cargo, perishable and vaccines: Free
VUV 30 (USD 0.25) / kg |
General freight lodged within 24 hours prior to uplift or removed prior its scheduled time/flight of departure from the day of check-in (applicable to security-screened cargo only) Storage beyond 24 hours free period (applicable to security-screened cargo only) |
AIR-BRIDGE CHARGES
Passenger air bridge is not used at Whitegrass Airport.
Security
Airports Vanuatu Limited provides security. Security issues are low at Whitegrass Airport. The security at the airport is good.