Cassidy International Airport
IATA: CXI – ICAO: PLCH + CXI Location of airport in Kiribati
Summary
Airport type		Public
Operator		Government
Serves		Kiritimati
Location		Banana
Elevation AMSL		5 ft / 2 m
Coordinates		01°59′10″N 157°20′59″W / 1.98611°N 157.34972°W / 1.98611; -157.34972Coordinates: 01°59′10″N 157°20′59″W / 1.98611°N 157.34972°W / 1.98611; -157.34972
Runways
Direction	Length		Surface
	m	ft
08/26	2,103	6,900	Asphalt
Source: DAFIF

Cassidy International Airport (IATA: CXI, ICAO: PLCH) is an airport located north of Banana, a settlement on Kiritimati (also known as Christmas Island) in Kiribati. It is the only airport in the Kiribatian part of the Line Islands with an IATA and/or ICAO code.

The airport is served by Fiji's flag carrier Air Pacific from Nadi, Fiji and Honolulu, United States. Since neither Air Kiribati nor Coral Sun Airways owns aircraft capable of flying between Kiritimati and the Gilbert Islands, where all other operational airports in Kiribati are located, there are no domestic flights to or from Kiritimati. However, Coral Sun Airways declares on its website the company is considering to purchase one larger aircraft, capable of flying to the Line Islands and the Phoenix Islands.

History

During World War II, the United States Army Air Forces Air Transport Command used the airport as a refuelling stop on its Pacific transport route from Hawaii to Kanton Island for flights to Australia and New Zealand as well as a staging point for attacks on the Gilbert Islands, then occupied by Japan. The airport was expanded considerably during the war, and the World War II runway configuration can still be seen as abandoned runways and aircraft parking areas in aerial photography.

Facilities

The airport resides at an elevation of 5 feet (2 m) above mean sea level. It has one runway designated 08/26 with an asphalt surface measuring 2,103 by 30 metres (6,900 × 98 ft).

Airlines and destinations

Charter

Air Pacific service

On 29 August 2008, Air Pacific announced they would suspend flights operating the airport from 2 September 2008. The decision was made due to the deteriorating surface of the runway which had been deemed unsafe after an inspection by Air Pacific personnel and specialist runway engineers. Service resumed on 25 May 2010. During the period Air Pacific was not offering its services to Fiji and the United States, an American company called Te Mauri Travel offered "interim" charter flights to Kiritimati.

The content above was published at Airports-Worldwide.com in 2010.
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