Strengthening American Samoa’s Aviation Lifeline

Woolpert rehabilitates distressed, out-of-code airfields and supports construction of the new Pago Pago International Airport terminal.

Woolpert has been operating in Oceania and the broader Asia-Pacific region for many decades, providing solutions for a wide range of industries, including aviation. More recently, in 2017, the firm’s survey team won a contract from the Federal Aviation Administration to perform airport GIS surveys for the American Samoa Government. During that work, the team connected officials with Woolpert’s aviation design group, which provided professional counsel and support services for an ongoing project.

In 2018, the American Samoa Government selected Woolpert’s aviation design team for its first direct contract. As staff continued work on additional efforts, they engaged with airport leadership and identified broader opportunities to address critical infrastructure needs. This collaboration ultimately brought together Woolpert’s geospatial, engineering, electrical, and planning disciplines to support the American Samoa Government across all three managed airports: Pago Pago International Airport (PPG), Ofu Airport (Z08), and Fitiuta Airport (FAQ).

Additionally, in 2022, Woolpert was contracted by the Port Administration of American Samoa to evaluate, plan, and design a new airport passenger terminal at PPG, the primary commercial and cargo airport serving American Samoa and the seven South Pacific islands of this U.S. territory.

Why is Air Travel so Important for American Samoa?

American Samoa is a U.S. territory located approximately 2,600 miles southwest of Hawaii in the South Pacific Ocean and situated roughly halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand. A direct flight from Honolulu to PPG takes close to six hours.

Due to American Samoa’s remote location, air travel serves as a critical lifeline, connecting the territory and its residents to other islands throughout the larger Pacific Ocean. Air travel is essential not only for tourism, business, and family connectivity but also for access to medical care. Nearly all advanced healthcare, including heart surgeries, cancer treatments, and other specialty services, requires travel to Honolulu and New Zealand.

In the late 2010s, American Samoa officials recognized that their airports and airfields were facing multiple issues. If not addressed quickly and thoroughly, the deficiencies could render this critical infrastructure unsafe and unusable for airlines — cutting off this essential lifeline.

Pago Pago International Airport

In 2018, the PPG terminal apron was experiencing age-related distress and pavement heaving caused by the use of larger aircraft. The primary runway was similarly affected by age and environmental deterioration. Additionally, the existing fueling and electrical power infrastructure was at capacity and had reached the end of its design life.

PPG’s terminal was also in urgent need of renovation. The existing terminal, built in 1963 during the Kennedy administration, had undergone approximately 16 expansions, the most recent in the 1990s. None of these additions complied with current Americans with Disabilities Act standards. In a typical U.S. airport, only about 1% to 2% of passengers have mobility impairments, but over 10% of travelers to and from American Samoa require mobility assistance.

The facility could not adequately support new aircraft or the economic development plans of American Samoa and its efforts to expand its infrastructure and pursue new industrial and commercial opportunities.

Ofu Airport

The runway at Z08, a small but culturally significant airport, was showing age-related distress in 2019, including broken concrete panels, heaving, settlement, ponding water, and extensive surface weathering. The runway was not compliant with FAA standards due to issues such as obstructions and roadways within the safety area, as well as runway widths that were too narrow.

Fitiuta Airport

While the runway pavements at the FAQ airfield were compliant and in satisfactory condition, by 2019, the runway lights and backup generator were damaged and no longer functioning. Restoration of these lights was required for airlines to resume night and evening operations.

Strengthening American Samoa’s Aviation Lifeline

Project Implementation: Woolpert’s Full-Service Solution

Whether rehabilitating airfields while keeping operations running or designing the PPG terminal to be both functional and culturally resonant, Woolpert partnered closely with the American Samoa Government to address concerns, mitigate risks, and develop sustainable solutions.

Improving Airfields Without Disrupting Operations

At PPG, Woolpert pursued a unique, cost-effective approach that kept normal airport operations and commercial service running without interruption. The team designed a fuel piping system that could be installed in phases to maintain constant fueling for commercial service aircraft. Similarly, Woolpert sequenced the rehabilitation work for the terminal apron and runway so it could be completed during the few days between scheduled flights on the airport’s only internationally capable runway, restoring it to full compliance every three days.

For Z08, Woolpert reconstructed the runway, translated it to the south, extended it by 200 feet, and adjusted the geometry to allow for a second extension in the future. The team’s forethought and careful planning not only solved the current problems for the American Samoa Government but enabled future growth and development. Much like PPG, it was critical that alternative transportation be available during the runway reconstruction, which was provided via chartered sea ferry.

Finally, at FAQ, the Woolpert team designed an airfield lighting and backup generator system that would serve the airport and airlines for years, regardless of the weather.

What Will the New PPG Airport Terminal Look Like?

The Woolpert team began by asking a fundamental question: Can the current terminal be rehabilitated, or does a new terminal need to be built? If it does need to be built, what should it include? To answer these questions, the team conducted a full evaluation.

Woolpert employed the VLX mobile-mapping building scanner as part of its reality capture process for the existing structure and utilities. This produced precise as-built drawings that were used to assess what should be retained or rebuilt and to develop a master plan.

The project then advanced into conceptual design, with the team identifying facility requirements, projected growth, and the airport’s overall needs. Several layout options were developed, and a preferred concept was selected.

Woolpert’s goal is to build an entirely new, environmentally and economically conscious facility that adheres to FAA and ADA standards. The new PPG terminal will incorporate sustainable materials, embed climate-resilience practices, and enhance services for disenfranchised communities.

Today, Woolpert has begun preliminary design and is in the first phase of producing construction and bidding documents. Final design, bidding, and the start of construction are expected to take place over the next couple of years. Throughout this project, Woolpert has partnered with Corgan, a premier airport terminal architecture firm, and local engineering consulting firms PPG Consultants and ppg.

Challenges Unique to American Samoa

There are several major challenges to large-scale infrastructure projects in American Samoa, from logistics and skilled-worker shortages to harsh weather and cultural considerations, all of which must be fully integrated into both the design and the overall project strategy.

Travel and Logistics

For the Woolpert team living on the East Coast of the U.S., travel to American Samoa takes roughly 28 hours each way, and flights operate only a few times per week. Because in-person visits are infrequent, the team relies on regular video conferencing and other remote collaboration tools.

This extreme distance also makes logistics challenging. Materials, equipment, tools, and even basic survey gear must be shipped months in advance. In many cases, the actual construction or rehabilitation work is far simpler than the extensive coordination, planning, shipping, staging, and scheduling required to support it.

These challenges were extremely pronounced during the COVID-19 pandemic, requiring Woolpert to develop flexible and cost-effective solutions amid widespread shipping, labor, and material shortages.

Maintenance and Resilience

From a maintenance standpoint, American Samoa’s isolation means that systems must be extremely resilient. Equipment inevitably fails, and replacement parts often take six to nine months to arrive. In an airport that must meet ADA requirements, it is unacceptable to be without an elevator for nine months. As such, Woolpert designed every major system with built-in contingency plans, redundancies, and “lower-tech” fallback options wherever possible.

The islands also face some of the world’s harshest environmental conditions: severe seismic activity, 236 inches of rain a year, typhoon winds, and a highly corrosive marine climate. These factors make durability, resilience, and ease of maintenance critical priorities for any new infrastructure.

Skilled Labor Shortages

American Samoa has a population of almost 50,000 and is classified by the Environmental Protection Agency as a low-income and disadvantaged community. Less than 20% of residents have any university education, which makes finding skilled labor difficult. Additionally, those residents who do acquire specialized skills often move to the U.S. mainland for better-paying opportunities and do not return.

To address these labor challenges, Woolpert deliberately designed systems, whether baggage claim machinery or mechanical equipment, that allow local staff to keep equipment functioning until specialized technicians can arrive. Woolpert is also working with the American Samoa Government to develop programs that create well-paying jobs and encourage people to stay or come back to the islands.

Lasting Benefits Over Quick Fixes

The improvements to the airfields, including pavement rehabilitation, lighting upgrades, and related studies, will not only enhance operational efficiency but also ensure the runways remain safe, compliant with current FAA standards, and serviceable. These projects were completed cost-effectively without halting airport operations and were designed to support future development.

While the terminal modernization of the PPG airport is still in progress and represents the core of the ongoing work, the benefits will be significant once completed. The primary driver behind the upgrade is that the existing terminal simply does not have the physical capacity to meet modern code requirements, as it predates the Transportation Security Administration, COVID19, and even the ADA.

Since community is at the heart of American Samoa’s culture, Woolpert’s process has included extensive community engagement. The firm has intentionally incorporated cultural values, quality-of-life considerations, sustainability, resilience, and modern technologies into the creation of the new PPG terminal. In particular, Woolpert’s efforts to help create more universal and higher-paying jobs through this program will bring long-lasting value to American Samoa beyond delivering a compliant and fully functioning airport.

We selected Woolpert because of our relationship with the firm and Curtis (Brown). We know who we are working with and are confident that they will guide us correctly through this project.

– Natalia Palamo, Chief Engineer, Port Administration of American Samoa

From American Samoa to 2,200 Airports

Woolpert’s work in American Samoa is just one exciting chapter in a long history of quality work and client satisfaction. With over 100 years of experience in the aviation industry, more than 2,200 airports served, and 900 aviation projects completed in the last 10 years alone, Woolpert is actively shaping the future of flight.

Connect with a Woolpert representative today to discover how we can assist with your unique aviation needs.