Fuaʻamotu International Airport

Fuaamotu International Airport is an international airport in Tonga. It is on the south side of the main island, Tongatapu, 35 km from the capital of Tonga, Nukualofa. Although named after the nearby village of Fuaamotu, which is on Tungī's (the king's) estate, in reality the airfield is located on the Tui Pelehake's estate, closer to the village of Pelehake (which did not yet exist as a village during the early aviation days).Fuaamotu was originally built in 1942 by a civilian contractor for the US Army. It was intended as a World War II heavy bomber field, and had three coral-surfaced runways. In the late 1970s, it was expanded to permit jet aircraft to use the runways. Fuaamotu is now suitable for up to Boeing 767 size aircraft, but remains closed to larger jets (e.g., 747s).Fuaamotu International Airport is equipped with VOR/DME (114.5) and NDB (245) navigational facilities. No ILS is available. Lighting is provided for the runway, apron, and taxiway. International airlines with regular services to Fuaamotu include Air New Zealand, Fiji Airways and Virgin Australia. Fiji Airways flies Boeing 737-800 aircraft from Nadi and ATR 42-500 aircraft from Suva (operated by Pacific Sun). Air New Zealand flies Airbus A320 and Boeing 767-300ER aircraft from Auckland. In March 2016, Air New Zealand announced plans to introduce Boeing 787-9s for the route Auckland–Tonga starting on June 15, 2016. Virgin Australia flies a Boeing 737-800 from Sydney and Auckland.