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Research dossier · Places & Architecture

Faleolo International Airport

international airport in Samoa

Architectural plans, a scale model, maps and brass measuring instruments
Places and architectureInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionAug 27, 2026
Entity authorityQ197933 ↗
Source-derived summary

Faleolo International Airport (IATA: APW, ICAO: NSFA) is an airport located 40 kilometres (25 mi) 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 Pago International Airport in American Samoa. Since the airport's expansion, most international traffic now uses Faleolo.

History

Faleolo Airfield

In 1942 the New Zealand colonial administration took land from the village of Satuimalufilufi for defence purposes, forcing it to relocate. United States Navy SeaBees of 1st Construction Battalion subsequently constructed an airfield and Naval Base Upolu. It became an auxiliary field of U.S. Naval Station Tutuila in the Samoa Defense Group Area during the Pacific War. Faleolo Airfield was completed by the Seabees in July 1942 and U.S. Marine Fighting Squadron VMF-111 was moved from Tafuna Airfield to Faleolo Airfield after the aircraft runway was completed to protect the islands of Upolu and Savai'i from an anticipated Japanese invasion. The original runway was 4,000 feet (1,219 m) x 200 feet (61 m) and was extended to 6,000 feet (1,829 m) x 350 feet (107 m) in March 1943 to accommodate a taxiway and space for basing of up to 57 fighter aircraft. Airfield support buildings and two hangars were also constructed and completed in March 1943.

Editorial summary

The public source identifies “Faleolo International Airport” as international airport in Samoa. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Faleolo, International and Airport.

Editorial reviewA valuable geographic starting point for tracing changing names, boundaries, uses and administrative responsibility. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1984, 1942, 1943—that can be checked directly. The selected authority fields contribute no independent date. Its value is orientation rather than verdict, with Faleolo, International and Airport providing the first useful test.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Faleolo International Airport”, the useful work is to connect “international airport in Samoa” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.

Evidence profile

Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 27, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q197933. Authority coordinates are -13.830, -172.008. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1984, 1942 and 1943.

Critical limits

Architectural summaries often privilege surviving fabric and can understate demolished phases, contested use or displaced communities. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.

Best used for
  • Historic place names
  • Jurisdictional context
  • Routes into maps and plans
Verify next

Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Faleolo International Airport”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Faleolo International Airport primary sources, Faleolo International Airport archive and Faleolo research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Faleolo International Airport”?
  2. Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
  3. Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “Faleolo International Airport” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.