The Ministry of Finance and Treasury, the Ministry of Communications & Aviation, and the Ministry of Infrastructure Development Transport is currently implementing the Solomon Islands Road and Aviation Project (SIRAP) and the Second Solomon Islands Road and Aviation Project (SIRAP2), supported by the World Bank (WB). SIRAP/SIRAP2 is part of the Pacific Aviation Investment Project (PAIP) which has invested in infrastructure, capacity development, and regulatory oversight to improve operational safety and oversight of international air transport infrastructure across the Pacific region including Kiribati, Tonga, Samoa, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.

Investments under SIRAP fall under five (5) main components:

• Component A: Honiara and Munda Airport Infrastructure Investments. This component will invest in international aviation infrastructure to meet and maintain minimum ICAO safety and security standards, while preserving and extending the service life of existing airport assets. This component will also finance road rehabilitation works in Malaita.
• Component B: Malaita Road Improvement and Maintenance Program. This component will invest in existing roads and is focused at improving their climate resiliency. All activities proposed under this component aim to improve the climate resilience of the Malaita Road network through a combination of specific spot improvements and overall system condition strengthening via adaptive maintenance measures. Activities include resealing existing sealed roads, construction of replacement bridges, spot upgrading, rehabilitation and long-term maintenance of unsealed main roads, and road safety infrastructure improvements.
• Component C: Institutional Strengthening. This component will help strengthen MCA, CAASI, and other line ministries’ technical capacity through targeted technical assistance to strengthen institutional capacity and dedicated training in operations and regulations. Activities include the development of an Airline Review Strategy; Airport Master Planning; Aviation Sector Strategy; and the provision of advisory services to SIACL and CAASI. This component will also support the road sector by providing planning and asset management to MID, improvements to project management and road safety capacity, assisting to address gender-based violence, and operational training to MID staff. A MID office will also be established in Auki, Malaita to improve works supervision.
• Component D: Project Implementation Support. This component will include the recruitment of a Project Support Team, who will provide project management support for both preparation and implementation, and advisory and administrative support for MCA and MID. Also included in this component are costs for the implementation support services, project financial audits, etc.
• Component E: Contingent Emergency Response. This zero-dollar contingent emergency response component (CERC) is designed to provide a swift response in the event of an Eligible Crisis or Emergency, by enabling the government to request the World Bank to reallocate project funds to support emergency response and reconstruction.

Investments under SIRAP2 fall under four (4) main components:

• Component 1: Climate Resilience and Safety Investments in the Aviation Sector. This component will support investments to improve the climate resilience and safety of identified aviation infrastructure, facilities, and equipment and will be implemented by MCA. The following activities are proposed:
  • Sub-component 1.1: Honiara Airport Infrastructure Investments - To improve operational safety and overall infrastructure resilience to climate change at Honiara Airport, this subcomponent will finance the following cost overruns/financial gaps of SIRAP: (i) overlay of the existing asphalt paved runway to enhance its resilience against increasing heat waves and the risk of accelerated pavement deterioration, including installation of energy-efficient airfield ground lighting, precision approach path indicators (PAPIs), and simple approach lighting, (ii) design and construction of a rescue fire service vehicle station, (iii) installation of an automatic weather observation station, and (iv) provision of standby generators. Further, as a scale-up activity, this subcomponent will finance (i) design and construction of an ATC tower, (ii) construction of a new aviation complex building, (iii) provision of crash alarms, (iv) supply and replacement of perimeter fence, and (v) equipment support.
  • Sub-component 1.2: Munda Airport Infrastructure Investments - To enable Munda Airport to resume international flights operations after the COVID-19 pandemic with enhanced climate resilience and improved safety, this subcomponent will finance (i) design and construction of an ATC tower, (ii) construction of car parking with improved drainage at the terminal, and (iii) provision of crash alarms.
  • Sub-component 1.3: Santa Cruz Airfield Infrastructure Investments - To improve operational safety and provide a reliable wet weather operational capability for Code 2C (Dash 8) aircraft at Santa Cruz Airfield, this subcomponent will finance the improvement of drainages, construction of seawalls and base course, and sealing of grass/gravel runway, taxiway, and apron.
  • Sub-component 1.4: Modernization of Air Navigation Systems - The aviation sector suffers from a lack of communication facilities and limited aircraft radio communication, which make it difficult to navigate aircrafts. This subcomponent will improve air traffic safety and climate resilience of air traffic navigation during inclement weather through the following investments in Makira-Ulawa and Temotu Provinces: (i) supply and installation of ADS-B ground stations, (ii) supply and installation of VSAT communications system, and (iii) provision of alternative energy source to support the operation of ADS-B and VSAT.42 The installation of these will enable aircraft operations to adapt to the communication or navigation challenges in the increasing severe weathers, enhancing the safety and efficiency of aircraft operations and improving the ability to perform search and rescue missions.
  • Sub-component 1.5: Regional Airport Maintenance - To improve the climate resilience and safety of airport operations at Honiara and Munda Airports, this subcomponent will finance a five-year performance-based contract to maintain critical mechanical and electrical assets whose failure would compromise safety or disrupt operations at the international airports.43 The regional airport maintenance contract will include emergency repair or maintenance of equipment in case of natural disasters. This subcomponent represents Solomon Islands' participation in Safety of Aviation for Regional Resilience (SOARR).

• Component 2: Climate Resilience and Safety Investments in the Road Sector. This component will support investments to improve the climate resilience and safety of identified road and bridge infrastructure using innovative materials, technologies, and adaptation measures and will be implemented by MID. The following activities are proposed:
  • Sub-component 2.1: Malaita Bridges Improvement. This subcomponent will replace four bridges—Kolofe1 and Kolofe2 Bridges on the North Road, and Su’u Harbor and Bira Bridges on the South Road—potentially with modular bridges with scour protection to address loss of connectivity issues resulting from previous climatic disasters and overloaded logging vehicles.
  • Sub-component 2.2: Noro Roads Improvement - Much of the existing road network in Noro, Western Province is nearing, or beyond, its service life. To enhance road resilience and connectivity during rainy seasons, this subcomponent will finance sealing of 4.4 km of gravel sections and resealing of 5.5 km of sealed sections of Noro Roads. These activities will undertake appropriate pothole/edge repairs, surfacing raising, base and subbase courses correction, crossfall correction, culvert/drainage improvement to adapt to the forecasted increases of rainfall volumes and intensities, and road safety improvements.

• Component 3: Institutional Strengthening and Project Management. This component aims at strengthening capabilities within MCA and MID in the areas of aviation planning, climate resilience transport, and road safety. It will finance technical assistance, project implementation support costs, and operational costs associated with the implementation of the project.
  • Sub-component 3.1 Technical Assistance - This subcomponent will finance (i) a consulting service for design and supervision of building and civil works under Subcomponents 1.1, 1.2, and 1.3, and Component 2, (ii) preparation of a national airports development plan to guide future infrastructure and facility development for 10 airfields, including the guidance on how to prepare for and respond to extreme weather events, (iii) technical support and training to MCA and Solomon Airlines to improve aviation safety and security including airport emergency preparedness and response planning, (iv) climate resilient road asset management improvement through the improvement of the existing asset management system, expansion of the road network criticality and vulnerability assessments, and development of a sustainable transport financing strategy, (v) road safety audits for the proposed Noro roads investments during the design and post-construction phases and training to MID staff to conduct road safety audits, (vi) road safety capacity improvement through the establishment of a National Road Safety Committee and potentially a road safety unit within MID, and (vii) activities to address the identified gender gap within MCA and expansion of the GBV training and awareness raising activities prepared under SIRAP for Munda/Noro and Malaita to include Santa Cruz.
  • Sub-component 3.2 Project Implementation Support - This subcomponent will finance the PST contracted staff and operating costs associated with implementation of the project, and yearly audits of the project accounts that SIG will submit to the World Bank.

• Component 4: Contingent Emergency Response. Since Solomon Islands remains vulnerable to climate change and severe weather events, even with the successful implementation of the first three components, supporting post-disaster/pandemic recovery is an important feature of the project. This zero-dollar component is designed to provide swift response in the event of an Eligible Crisis or Emergency, by enabling SIG to request the World Bank to reallocate project funds to support emergency response and reconstruction. The definition of disasters that could trigger this component would be broad enough to include pandemics or other health-related events.

SIRAP/SIRAP2 is aligned with the World Bank’s Country Partnership Framework (CPF) for Solomon Islands for FY2018–2023 (Report No. 122600-SB). The benefits of greater regional cooperation and global integration are maximized through a project that will strengthen the air transport regulatory environment and improve aviation safety and security to international standards.

SIRAP/SIRAP2 is also consistent with the National Development Strategy (NDS) 2016–2035, NTP 2017–2036, and MTTAP 2017–2021. SIRAP/SIRAP2 supports the NDS’s objectives, in particular sustainable and inclusive economic growth, access improvement to health and education, and resilient and environmentally sustainable development with effective disaster risk management. The project also contributes to the NTP 2017–2036, of which the investment program is centred on rehabilitation and maintenance of existing infrastructure, as well as improvement of transport network resilience. The proposed investments are also aligned with the priority projects listed in the MTTAP 2017–2021.