Maota Airport is the main domestic airport on the island of Savai'i in

Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands ( Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands ( Manono and Apolima); ...

. It is situated near

Salelologa Salelologa is a village district at the east end of Savai'i island in Samoa. It is the main entry point into the island with the only ferry terminal on Savai'i. It also serves as the main township for shopping and public amenities with a market s ...

at the east end of Savai'i. The airport is located 10 minutes south of Salelologa township and ferry terminal. The airport has been in operation since the early 1990s. It was tar-sealed in 1994, and declared a customs port of entry in 1997. In the past, the airport has served flights from

Faleolo International Airport Faleolo International Airport is an airport located west of Apia, the capital of Samoa. Until 1984, Faleolo could not accommodate jets larger than a Boeing 737. Services to the United States, Australia, or New Zealand, could only land at Pago ...

on the main island

Upolu Upolu is an island in Samoa, formed by a massive basaltic shield volcano which rises from the seafloor of the western Pacific Ocean. The island is long and in area, making it the second largest of the Samoan Islands by area. With approximate ...

and Asau Airport at the northwest end of Savai'i, but domestic flights were discontinued before 2000. The airport was refurbished in late 2020, and

Samoa Airways Samoa Airways, formerly Polynesian Airlines, is the state-owned flag carrier airline of Samoa. The airline was founded in 1959 as "Polynesian Airlines", providing domestic and international flights throughout the South Pacific. International ope ...

resumed domestic flights in September that year.

Facilities

The airport has a short

runway According to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and takeoff of aircraft". Runways may be a man-made surface (often asphalt, concre ...

suitable for

Twin Otter The de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter is a Canadian STOL (Short Takeoff and Landing) utility aircraft developed by de Havilland Canada, which produced the aircraft from 1965 to 1988; Viking Air purchased the type certificate, then restart ...

and other small passenger aircraft. The airport terminal is an open fale. Landings are limited to daylight hours due to a lack of lighting. A small control tower exists directed from the control tower at Faleolo on Upolu.

Airlines and Destinations

References

External links

* * {{authority control Airports in Samoa Fa'asaleleaga Savai'i