AviatDataFunafuti International Airport FUN / NGFU
Funafuti (Vaiaku, Fongafale islet) · Tuvalu · Tuvalu Government — Civil Aviation Directorate, Ministry of Transport, Energy and Tourism (MTET); state-owned and directly operated, no separate airport authority or private concessionaire. (Older sources list the Civil Aviation Authority under the Office of the Prime Minister — apparent later shift to MTET, not independently reconciled.)
12kpax · 2024
Limited hoursInternational · customs & immigrationJet A-1
ICAO / IATANGFU / FUN
OperatorTuvalu Government — Civil Aviation Directorate, Ministry of Transport, Energy and Tourism (MTET); state-owned and directly operated, no separate airport authority or private concessionaire. (Older sources list the Civil Aviation Authority under the Office of the Prime Minister — apparent later shift to MTET, not independently reconciled.)
Coordinates8.5250°S, 179.1964°E
Elevation9 ft · 3 m
Time zoneTVT (UTC+12, no DST)
Passengers / yr12,000 (2024)
CustomsYes
Border controlYes
SchengenNo
FuelJet A-1
Bonded—
AIP referenceNGFU — Pacific AIP Supplement, believed published via Airways New Zealand/Aeropath's Asia-Pacific AIP service in the absence of a Tuvalu national eAIP; Aeropath's own site confirms only generic 'New Zealand and countries within Asia Pacific' coverage, not Tuvalu by name, so this specific attribution is not independently confirmed.
Operating hoursNo control tower and no runway lighting; minimal VHF/nav aids restrict operations to daylight hours, keyed to the scheduled Fiji Airways ATR72 flights (Tue/Thu/Sat ex-Suva, Mon/Fri ex-Nadi). Customs and immigration operate Mon-Thu 07:30-16:15 and Fri 07:30-12:45 local, matched to flight days, with availability outside these hours by prior notice. Landing permit/PPR required for all other traffic, arranged through the Civil Aviation Directorate (+688 20102). (Exact customs windows not independently reconciled.)
TerminalsSingle terminal building (opened 2018) with check-in, customs/immigration and a small departure lounge; ground-level boarding only, no jet bridges.
Runways (1)
- 03/21 · 1,524 m / 5,000 ft · 30 m wide · Asphalt
Airport contact
Tuvalu's only air link to the outside world — Fiji Airways ATR72 service from Suva (~3x/week) and Nadi (~2x/week) is the sole scheduled traffic; no ILS or runway lighting limits ops to daylight hours, and the single 03/21 strip doubles as Fongafale's main public open space (football, gatherings) between flights, with a fire-engine siren clearing it before each landing. Jet A-1 is uplifted from a small tanker-trailer operation with no bulk fuel farm on site, so planners should confirm uplift quantities in advance; Funafuti's extreme isolation (nearest usable alternate well over 1,000 nm away, via Nadi/Suva) makes fuel reserves and diversion planning critical. Annual pax (~12,000, 2024) is a planning ESTIMATE — no official Tuvalu government throughput statistics were located. Runway load capacity is reported reduced to 20 tonnes from an original 50 tonnes due to subsurface deterioration (World Bank Tuvalu Aviation Investment Project, approved 2013, funded resurfacing/upgrades).
Services
Available
On request / PPR
Seasonal / ageing
Unconfirmed / not listed
Ground handling
Available
Tuvalu Civil Aviation Directorate (Ministry of Transport, Energy & Tourism)
Airport operator self-provides ramp and passenger handling for Fiji Airways (Fiji Link) and Air Kiribati turnarounds via the airport Travel Office/Airport Manager (Telaulini Niuatui, •••); no separate private ground handler is present. WFP/Logistics Cluster Tuvalu LCA confirms 'Ground Handling Services: Yes' at the field. · 0800-1600 Mon-Fri
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Aircraft fuel
Available
Pacific Energy Limited
Sole Jet A-1 supplier and into-plane agent at Funafuti International Airport, fuelling Fiji Airways' ATR72s from its terminal at Akimoa, Funafuti; product imported via NZ/Fiji/Singapore. Confirmed via the WFP/Logistics Cluster Tuvalu Airport Companies Contact List (Terminal Manager Leota S. Patiale) and airport infrastructure data ('JET A-1 fuel: Yes', priced at USD 1.00/L); supply has seen periodic shortages forcing payload restrictions on Fiji Airways flights.
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Verified 2 weeks ago · unconfirmed source
De-icing
Not listed
Part-145 line maintenance
Not listed
Part-145 base maintenance
Not listed
Component shops & overhaul
Not listed
Flight catering
Not listed
Aircraft cleaning
Not listed
Ground support equipment
On request
Tuvalu Civil Aviation Directorate (Ministry of Transport, Energy & Tourism)
Ground support equipment (forklifts/loading aids) for aircraft and cargo handling is sourced from the adjacent Department of Works yard per the WFP/Logistics Cluster Tuvalu LCA; no independent GSE company operates on the atoll.
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Verified 2 weeks ago · unconfirmed source
Cargo handling
On request
Tuvalu Civil Aviation Directorate (Ministry of Transport, Energy & Tourism)
No dedicated cargo terminal exists (LCA: 'Cargo terminal: No'); freight is offloaded and handled manually by airport/Public Works staff, with forklifts drawn from the adjacent Department of Works yard when needed.
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Verified 2 weeks ago · unconfirmed source
Aviation security
Available
HI-TECH SECURITY
Named as the on-site security provider (Security Manager Sam Koau) in the WFP/Logistics Cluster Tuvalu Airport Companies Contact List, tasked with managing security at Funafuti International Airport; direct contact details not publicly listed.
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Verified 2 weeks ago · unconfirmed source
Passenger & crew transport
Not listed
Flight support
Available
Tuvalu Civil Aviation Directorate (Ministry of Transport, Energy & Tourism)
The airport's Flight Information Centre and Civil Aviation Directorate (Director Uinga Paelate) provide flight-ops liaison, traveller/flight information and airfield coordination for arriving and departing aircraft; contact •••, •••. No independent FBO or trip-support desk is based at the field. · 0800-1600 Mon-Fri
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Verified 2 weeks ago · unconfirmed source
Hotel & travel
Available
Vaiaku Lagi Hotel (Funafuti Lagoon Hotel)
Government-owned hotel roughly 50m from the terminal, directly opposite the airport; effectively the only hotel of any scale on Funafuti and the default stay for airline crew, international-agency staff and other air travellers passing through, though no airline-specific crew contract is publicly documented.
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Verified 2 weeks ago · unconfirmed source