By Staff Writer
The Fagali’i Airport is to reopen for small aircrafts serving the routes to nearby American Samoa and Savaii.
The Minister of Works Olo Fiti Vaai confirmed the re-opening in Parliament during the budget debate last week.
No opening dates were mentioned but the Minister is certain it will revive short weekend holiday travels from American Samoa.
The Fagali’i Airport short hop to the territory and back is convenient also for the local business community to take quick return travel and this is the key to the Minister’s decision to re-open.
The village based runway that runs parallel to the Fagali’i Royal Samoa Country Golf Club has been closed for a while.
The terminal and other airport facilities housed the traffic division of the Ministry of Police, which will now have to relocate back to headquarters in Apia.
Safety fears for both aircrafts because of the short runway and surrounding village families were among the key considerations for closing Fagali’i by the previous Government.
All flight operations were moved to the Faleolo International Airport. All will revert back to Fagalii Airport once it is back and running again fully.
The Minister firmly believes there is still room for the runway to be extended to make it easier for aircraft.
Opposition leader Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi is not sold on the Minister’s reassurances and is frankly downhearted with what he described as very misleading information on the safety area.
“ The runway cannot be extended towards the western end because a road runs across it and just behind it is a long drop down to the river with tall trees further out, “ Tuilaepa observed.
“On the western end are village families and it is frightening at times flying in to land imagining what would happen if an aircraft crashes.”
The veteran politician believes the Faleolo Airport location is ideally located to serve both islands and also American Samoa.
Flights to Savaii are not popular with the traveling public as most preferred to drive onto the ferry for the trip to Savai’i to make traveling on the big island easier in their own vehicles.
The Minister brushed off any hopes of finishing up the Tiavea airport at Aleipata, where “only 1 per cent of the travelers will be able to use it.”
The uncompleted airport is part of a vision by the previous Government to promote tourism at Aleipata and develop it as a commercial location.
Tourism and trade with neighbouring American Samoa is a key incentive for the development of that side of the island.
Tiavea Airport will be much safer than Fagali’i airport with a bigger and longer runway that can also be used for emergency landing.