The Ministry of Communication and Aviation said, in a statement issued on the Solomon Islands Government portal on 5 October 2026, that the new Communication and Aviation Complex Building at the Honiara International Airport Compound was opened and handed over on Wednesday 30 September 2026.
The ceremony was officiated by the Guest of Honour, Communication and Aviation Minister Hon. Fredrick Kologeto, who opened the building and witnessed its transfer to the Ministry, the statement said. It said Deputy Prime Minister (Acting Prime Minister) and Minister of Public Service, Honourable Francis Belande Sade, also attended, with senior officials, development partners, project representatives and other guests.
According to the Ministry, the building gives a central base at the airport to the Ministry of Communication and Aviation (MCA), the Civil Aviation Authority of Solomon Islands (CAASI), and Customs, Immigration and Quarantine. Grouping the agencies under one roof is meant to improve coordination, communication and collaboration, and to make services at the main international gateway more efficient, the Ministry said.
The statement put the project cost at USD 5,771,547.68, approximately $40 million in SBD, with money from the World Bank under the Solomon Islands Road and Aviation Project 2 (SIRAP 2). China Railway Construction Engineering Group Co., Ltd. (CRCEG) built the complex and Egis Singapore PTE Ltd supervised the work, the Ministry said.
The Ministry said the multi-story building uses cyclone and earthquake-resistant structural materials, has a 50 year design life and sits on a 3,000 m² site, 130 meters to the north of the airport's Departure Terminal. It said the structure follows New Zealand and Australian building standards.
Contract documents were signed on November 1st, 2024, construction began on December 17th, 2024 and the opening and handover followed on September 30th, 2026, which the Ministry described as one year and nine months from start to finish.
The statement said Mr Kologeto acknowledged the input of the Government, development partners, contractors, technical teams and other stakeholders, and said the building would end the long-standing use of rented offices, freeing government money for other services and programmes. The Ministry also thanked the Guadalcanal Provincial Government for hosting the facility, and said World Bank Country Representative Mr Bernard Harborne spoke on behalf of the World Bank.
Source: Based on a statement by the Ministry of Communication and Aviation published on the Solomon Islands Government portal (solomons.gov.sb) on 5 October 2026. https://solomons.gov.sb/communication-and-aviation-complex-building-officially-opened-and-handed-over-to-the-government-and-people-of-solomon-islands/