Nauru International Airport
Fewer airports lie as closer to the community they serve as Nauru International Airport, situated just steps from the police station and parliament house in the town of Yaren. The airport’s only runway travels directly across the island’s main ring road, and motorists must stop at a traffic light whenever flights need the runway.
Nauru’s official airline, simply called Our Airline, has its head office at the airport. An Our Airline Boeing 737-300 consumes almost 30 percent of the island’s gross domestic product. Weekly flights are to the Marshall Islands community of Majuro and Brisbane, Australia. These 5 hour, 45 minute trips include a 60-minute stopover in the Solomon Islands city of Honiara. Most American visitors must fly to Honolulu before catching a connecting flight to Nauru.
The airport has been for sale since 1996 at an asking price of US $10 million with proceeds going to help pay off the island’s US $11 million debt. A courtesy shuttle service from Menem Hotel is the airport’s only public transportation.