page_title: Fuaʻamotu International Airport
section_title: Size restrictions
hierarchical_section_title: Fuaʻamotu International Airport / Size restrictions
caption_attribution_description: English: Cnb-Npl, created by myself from a rough diagram, drawn from the Tonga AIP
context_page_description: Fuaʻamotu International Airport is an international airport in Tonga. It is on the south side of the main island, Tongatapu, 20 km from the capital of Tonga, Nukuʻalofa. Although named after the nearby village of Fuaʻamotu, which is on Tungī's estate, in reality the airfield is located on the Tuʻi Pelehake's estate, closer to the village of Pelehake.
  The air field was constructed by Seabees of the 1st Construction Battalion with assistance and labor of the U. S. Army 147th Infantry Regiment. 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. Fuaʻamotu is now suitable for up to Boeing 767 size aircraft, but remains closed to larger jets.
  Fuaʻamotu International Airport is equipped with VOR/DME and NDB navigational facilities. No ILS is available. Lighting is provided for the runway, apron, and taxiway. International airlines with regular services to Fuaʻamotu 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.
context_section_description: It is the strength of the runway rather than the length that restricts operations from Fuaʻamotu. Even a fully laden Boeing 767-300ER on a flexible pavement B strength, such as at this airport, requires a Pavement Classification Number (PCN) of 59, therefore is not allowed to takeoff with full load. The same can be said of a Boeing 747-400, which theoretically could take off and land at Fuaʻamotu length-wise, but needs a PCN of 66, and would therefore damage the runway severely in the process (A B747-400 weighs over twice as much as a B767-300ER).
caption: Map of Fuaʻamotu International Airport.
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