Aéroport International de Tahiti-Faa'a
Throughout the 1950s, Tahiti was connected to the outside world by ship or seaplane, particularly via the famous “Coral Route.” This trans-Pacific air route, operated by TEAL, allowed travel from New Zealand to Tahiti via Fiji, Samoa, and the Cook Islands.
In addition to the monthly TEAL service, foreign travelers had to be transferred to Tahiti from Bora Bora, the only runway in the Territory, built in 1942 by the United States to station troops after entering the war against Japan following the Pearl Harbor attack.
The construction of Tahiti-Faa’a Airport was decided in Paris on May 15, 1957, and recognized as being in the public interest the following year.
At that time, building an airport in Tahiti was seen as the solution to various problems, including:
The first works began in 1959 by building an embankment in the Faa’a lagoon area where a seaplane base existed on the motu Tahiri. The project was overseen by the French Dredging and Public Works Company, which had just built the runway in Hong Kong.
Two years and 43,000 cubic meters were required to complete this massive project, which took shape between the shore and motu Tahiri.
A first section of the runway, 2,000 meters long and 150 meters wide, was delivered in 1960. At that point, the runway opened to commercial air traffic, but work continued for six months to extend the runway to 3,416 meters to accommodate jets serving Tahiti.
The year 1960 marks a turning point in the history of aviation in French Polynesia and the beginning of a new era: the era of tourism.
To date, Tahiti-Faa’a Airport is the only international airport in French Polynesia, which comprises 118 islands spread over an area equal to that of Europe.
It plays a strategic role in ensuring the connectivity of the populations of French Polynesia with each other and with the rest of the world.
Today, it serves about ten international destinations spread across Europe, North America, Asia, and Oceania.
Tahiti-Faa’a Airport is managed under a concession agreement at the concessionaire’s risk and peril. This concession is currently being re-awarded by the State.
In 2010, the State granted its management to Aéroport De Tahiti (ADT), which has invested nearly 8 billion CFP francs in upgrading airport facilities.
Tahiti-Faa’a Airport is the home base for the main carrier Air Tahiti Nui (ATN), which represents 42% of the international air traffic market share.
The domestic air network includes 46 territorial airports, one military airport (Moruroa), and 4 private airfields.
The five archipelagos of French Polynesia are primarily served by Air Tahiti through a regular flight program from Tahiti-Faa’a to around forty destinations, thereby breaking the isolation of islands far from Tahiti. More recently, Air Moana has served 6 destinations in 3 different archipelagos.
Aéroport de Tahiti manages the airports of Bora Bora, Raiatea, and Rangiroa on behalf of the Territory under Temporary Occupation Authorizations until June 30, 2025.
