Asau Airport is a small domestic airfield located in the thick dense jungle at the northwest end of Savai'i

Savai'i

Savaii is the largest and highest island in Samoa and the Samoa Islands chain. It is also the biggest landmass in Polynesia outside Hawaii and New Zealand. The island of Savai'i is also referred to by Samoans as Salafai, a classical Samoan term used in oratory and prose...

 in Samoa

Samoa

Samoa , officially the Independent State of Samoa, formerly known as Western Samoa is a country encompassing the western part of the Samoan Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. It became independent from New Zealand in 1962. The two main islands of Samoa are Upolu and one of the biggest islands in...

. The airport is in the village of Asau

Asau, Samoa

Asau is situated on the north west coast of Savai'i island in Samoa. It is the capital village of the Vaisigano political district and serves as the main business centre at the west end of the island....

 and mainly services chartered flights.

This airport is open daily for 12 hours a day. According to the Samoan media, the Old and New Asau Airport is still operating under International Standards.

Facilities

There is only one rigid and roughly surfaced runway. There are no runway lights, and there is no watch tower. Asau Airport, however, is under the main Sky Watch Tower at Faleolo International Airport on Upolu.

Only Twin Otter planes can land and take off this small airport, generally because the runway and tarmac cannot handle any other larger and heavier aircraft.

The small tarmac can only fit two Twin Otter planes, with an aircraft parking shed located near the tarmac. Another small shed serves as the airport terminal.

2003 Disaster

In 2003, a cyclone swept past Samoa and most of the South Pacific. Asau was badly affected and the airport suffered serious damage. Since 2006, the airport has been shut, and all passengers who wished to go to Asau had to go through Maota Airport.

Since then, the airport terminal was rebuilt and a new paved runway was installed. It is still uncertain whether the new runway is up to international standards.

Airlines and destinations

This is a domestic airport which only serves flights in and out of Maota Airport

Maota Airport

Maota Airport is the main domestic airport on the island of Savai'i in Samoa. It is situated near Salelologa 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...

, the main airstrip on Savai'i at the east end of the island, and Faleolo International Airport

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...

 on the main island Upolu

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, in area, and is the second largest in geographic area as well as the most populated of the Samoan Islands. Upolu is situated to the east of...

. It used to offer a flight to Pago Pago, American Samoa

Pago Pago, American Samoa

Pago Pago , also spelled ', is the capital of American Samoa. In 2000, its population was 11,500. The city is served by Pago Pago International Airport. Tourism, entertainment, food, and tuna canning are the primary industries here. From 1878 to 1951, this was a coaling and repair station for the...

Polynesian Airlines

Polynesian Airlines

Polynesian Airlines is the national airline of Samoa and has its headquarters in the Samoa National Provident Fund Building in the capital, Apia. It formerly flew all over the Pacific but with the establishment of Polynesian Blue by the government and Virgin Blue , Polynesian Airlines has...

 serves Asau once or twice a week. Demands on the airport are smaller compared to Maota Airport

Maota Airport

Maota Airport is the main domestic airport on the island of Savai'i in Samoa. It is situated near Salelologa 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...

, located near Salelologa

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...

, the main town on the island where the ferry terminal is located.