Papua New Guinea keeps smoking out in the open air. The country’s main gateway is genuinely non-smoking inside and after security, so the answer is to plan your last cigarette on the landside, well away from the terminal, before you check in or after you leave.
Papua New Guinea Airports Compared: Before and After Security
Before security, you can always smoke outside: at a designated smoking area where there is one, or outside the airport property, beyond the terminal kerb and car parks. After security, Yes means there is a smoking area past security and a dash means none is listed. Each airport’s page has the details.
| Airport | Before security | After security |
|---|---|---|
| Port Moresby (POM) | Yes | – |
The country’s main airport is Port Moresby International Airport (Jacksons International Airport, POM).
How Papua New Guinea Airport Smoking Works
Under the Tobacco Control Act 2016, all enclosed public places in Papua New Guinea are smoke-free, and that includes airport terminals. Port Moresby lists no indoor, airside, or designated outdoor smoking facility, and the airside Air Niugini Paradise Lounge has no smoking area.
Any smoking therefore takes place in the open air on the landside, well away from the terminal building. Individuals who breach the smoke-free rules can be fined under the Act.
Vaping is treated even more strictly. A nationwide ban on the import, sale and use of all e-cigarettes and vapes was announced on 13 May 2025 and took effect on gazettal days later, enforced by the Health Department and Customs. Do not bring vaping devices into the country at all.
The Hub
Port Moresby International Airport (Jacksons International Airport, POM) is the country’s main gateway, with separate International and Domestic terminals. Both are smoke-free indoors and airside, so the open-air landside areas, kept well clear of the terminal entrances, are where smokers head before or after their flights.
Tips for Smokers at Papua New Guinea Airports
- Have your last cigarette in the open air on the landside before you enter the terminal to check in, since there is no facility inside or after security.
- Once you are airside there is no smoking option, so factor that into long layovers and connections.
- Do not bring e-cigarettes or vapes into Papua New Guinea; their import and use are banned nationwide and enforced by Customs.
- Keep well away from terminal doorways and other travellers when you smoke outside, and remember that smoking in enclosed public places can be fined under the Act.