Bauerfield International Airport
Bauerfield International Airport
Port Vila International Airport (IATA: VLI, ICAO: NVVV) (French: Aéroport International Port-Vila), widely known as Bauerfield International Airport (French: Aéroport International Bauerfield), is an airport located in Port Vila, Vanuatu. The airport is relatively small in size, but its runway has the capability and length to accept large wide body jets such as the Airbus A330. It served as the international hub for Vanuatu's flag carrier airline, Air Vanuatu, until its bankruptcy in 2024.
Location
17.699°S, 168.320°E · 21 m s. n. m. (70 ft)
General data
Runways · 2
Lengths and surfaces from the public OurAirports register; open runways only.
Radio frequencies · 1
Tower
Reference frequencies for enthusiasts, from OurAirports (community database, public domain), checked on Oct 16, 2026. They may be outdated or incomplete and do not replace the AIP or current charts: not for navigation. In Europe the published frequency may be an 8.33 kHz channel (e.g., 118.505 for 118.500). In MHz.
History
During World War II
With Japanese forces establishing bases on Guadalcanal which threatened the sea route between the United States and Australia, Admiral Ernest King of the United States Navy distributed the joint basic plan for the occupation and defense of Efate (the island on which Port Vila is situated) on 20 March 1942. Under its terms the United States Army was to defend Efate and support the defense of ships and positions. The US Navy's task was: (1) to construct, administer and operate a naval advance base, seaplane base, and harbor facilities; (2) to support Army forces in the defense of the island; (3) to construct an airfield and at least two outlying dispersal fields; (4) to provide facilities for the operation of seaplane-bombers.
On 25 March 1942, the Army sent about 500 men to Efate from Nouméa, and the 4th Defense Battalion, 45th Marines, arrived on 8 April. Elements of the Seabees 1st Naval Construction Battalion arrived on Efate on 4 May 1942. The Marines had already cleared a coral 2,000 feet (610 m) by 200 feet (61 m) runway near Port Vila on part of a plantation owned by Henri Russet. The Seabees expanded this to 6,000 feet (1,800 m) by 350 feet (110 m).
The airfield was originally named Efate Field, Vila Field or McDonald Field but was later officially named Bauer Field after Lt-Col. Harold W. Bauer, a fighter pilot in the US Marine Corps who was lost at sea on 14 November 1942 after being shot down during the Battle of Guadalcanal.
USAAF units stationed at Efate Field included:
12th Fighter Squadron 1942-3
44th Fighter Squadron 7 November 1942 – 25 October 1943
26th Bombardment Squadron 25 July-22 December 1942
The base was disestablished and abandoned in February 1946.
Development since the 2000s
The airport runway was rebuilt in 2019 after a 3-year construction project funded by the World Bank. It was damaged in the 2024 Port Vila earthquake on 17 December, causing its closure to non-humanitarian flights for 72 hours. Commercial operations resumed on 22 December following repairs.
Airlines operating here · 8
Other airlines with direct routes
Airlines with current passenger routes from here, according to Wikipedia route tables cross-checked from both ends (October 2026).
Photo: PetterLundkvist · CC BY 3.0 · view original
Data from OurAirports (public domain) · destinations and airlines from Wikipedia route tables (CC BY-SA, 2026), unless another source is given · profile and photo from Wikidata/Wikimedia Commons (CC0 / CC) · summary and history from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).
Cite
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This page was last updated on October 15, 2026
APA
Vuelopedia. (2026, October 15). Bauerfield International Airport (VLI). Retrieved October 16, 2026, from https://vuelopedia.org/en/airport/VLI
MLA
“Bauerfield International Airport (VLI).” Vuelopedia, Fundación Poderia, 15 Oct. 2026, vuelopedia.org/en/airport/VLI. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.
Chicago
Vuelopedia. “Bauerfield International Airport (VLI).” Fundación Poderia. Last modified October 15, 2026. https://vuelopedia.org/en/airport/VLI.
Harvard
Vuelopedia (2026) Bauerfield International Airport (VLI). Available at: https://vuelopedia.org/en/airport/VLI (Accessed: 16 October 2026).
BibTeX
@misc{vuelopedia_en_airport_vli,
author = {{Vuelopedia}},
title = {{Bauerfield International Airport (VLI)}},
publisher = {Fundación Poderia},
year = {2026},
date = {2026-10-15},
url = {https://vuelopedia.org/en/airport/VLI},
howpublished = {\url{https://vuelopedia.org/en/airport/VLI}},
urldate = {2026-10-16},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-16}
}Wikipedia
{{cite web |url=https://vuelopedia.org/en/airport/VLI |title=Bauerfield International Airport (VLI) |website=Vuelopedia |publisher=Fundación Poderia |date=2026-10-15 |access-date=2026-10-16 |language=en}}