La Tontouta International Airport, also known as Nouméa – La Tontouta International Airport (french: Aéroport de Nouméa - La Tontouta; ) is the main international airport in New Caledonia, and the military base for the French Air Force based in New-Caledonia. The airport is in the municipality of

Païta Païta () is a commune in the suburbs of Nouméa in the South Province of New Caledonia, an overseas territory of France in the Pacific Ocean. New Caledonia's international airport, La Tontouta International Airport, is located there. Geograph ...

, approximately northwest of Nouméa. La Tontouta International Airport serves international flights, while Noumea Magenta Airport, located 38 km south-east within the city of Noumea, serves domestic flights. The airport is regularly served by four airlines, including

Aircalin Société Aircalin, also known as Air Calédonie International, is the flag carrier of the French collectivity of New Caledonia, with its headquarters in Nouméa. It operates scheduled services from its main base at La Tontouta International ...

, which is based at the airport. In 2017, 529,349 passengers used the airport.

History

World War II

Tontouta Air Base was originally constructed by the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

's Seabees for the Pacific Theater of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

. The base had two runways numbered 3/21 and 11/29. The base reverted to local (French) control after the war and today's remaining runway is aligned on 11/29.

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

units based here included: * 64th Troop Carrier Squadron operating

Douglas C-47 Skytrain The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota ( RAF, RAAF, RCAF, RNZAF, and SAAF designation) is a military transport aircraft developed from the civilian Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II and remained ...

s in 1943. * 67th Fighter Squadron operating Bell P-39 Airacobras from 17 March 1942 – 24 April 1943 B-17-e-41-2426-new-calidenoia

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through c ...

units based here included: * VMF-212 operating Grumman F4F Wildcats * VMO-251 operating Grumman F4F Wildcats from June–August 1942

Terminal expansion

Air France Boeing 747-400 at La Tontouta Airport, Noumea

Aircalin_Airbus_A330_at_La_Tontouta_Airport

A major expansion of the airport's terminal was completed in 2012 after several years of work. The project resulted in a significant increase in the terminal's size and included a new arrivals area, a larger check-in area and the installation of two

jetbridge A jet bridge (also termed jetway, jetwalk, airgate, gangway, aerobridge/airbridge, skybridge, finger, airtube, expedited suspended passenger entry system (E-SPES), or its official industry name passenger boarding bridge (PBB)) is an enclosed, ...

s. The terminal now has five stands capable of handling commercial jet aircraft, two of which are served by the new airbridges and three of which utilise stairs to access the aircraft. In addition, the airport has several more stands designed to handle smaller aircraft.

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

Cargo

Statistics

References

External links

Aéroport international de Nouméa - La Tontouta
(official website) *French Aeronautical Information Publication for ( PDF) – NOUMÉA LA TONTOUTA
Aéroport de Nouméa - La Tontouta
at L'Union des Aéroports Français {{authority control Airports in New Caledonia Nouméa Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces in the Pacific Ocean theatre of World War II Seabees