Just two months later, Guam Airport welcomed its first international arrivals and civilian traffic began to build thereafter. When the U.S Army and navy no longer required Guam as a base it was decided to develop the airport for civilian use and the International Air Terminal was opened in March of 1967. Use as a Civilian AirportĪ prefabricated Quonset hut served as the airport's terminal building during the military years when only military personnel could use the airfield. Navy who continued to operate there until it was finally closed in 1993. Air Force as a base for fighter defence and also as a hub for transportation until 1947 when it was transferred into the hands of the U.S. After bomber operations moved to Okinawa, Agana Airfield continued to be used by long-range Lockheed P-38 Lightnings reconnaissance aircraft until the beginning of 1946.Īfter the end of World War II in 1945, the airfield continued to be used by the U.S. Air Forces Seventh Air Force which flew Consolidated B-24 heavy bombers out of Guam before transferring operations to Okinawa in 1945. The airfield was badly damaged during the recapture but was swiftly repaired by the Americans and soon became a base for the U.S. However, Japanese possession of the island did not last long as it was recaptured by American troops a year later in 1944 and renamed Agana Airfield, the name of the nearest town on the island. The Japanese named the military airbase Guamu Dai Ni which translated as Guam Number 2. Starting as a Japanese AirfieldĪn airfield first appeared on Guam around 1943 and was built by the Japanese as part of that country's defence system protecting the area around the Mariana Islands. House of Representatives and bears the International Air Transport Association (IATA) designation code GUM. The airport is named in honour of Antonio Borja Won Pat who was the first delegate from the island to sit in the U.S. The airport is located 3 miles (5 km) to the east of Hagåtña, the capital city formerly called Agana, which is the islands center of commercial activity and government.Ĭovering just 1,700 acres, Guam International is a small airport with a single terminal building and two asphalt runways but is a major hub for Asia Pacific Airlines and a Pacific Ocean hub for United Airlines. Nor should it come as a surprise that it is the only international airport on Guam as the island is a mere one square mile in size and is home to around a thousand residents. Won Pat International Airport (GUM), it is hardly surprising that the former Naval Air Station at Agana is most commonly simply referred to as Guam International Airport. Lumbered with the rather cumbersome name of Antonio B.
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