[1] The Pan American central air route from Hawaii to the Philippines and Asia, stopping at Midway Atoll, Wake Island and Guam, passed through the Japanese controlled islands which caused serious concerns about its safety in 1941 even though the US Army had reinforced the Philippines with a flight of B-17 bombers by way of Midway, Wake and Port Moresby in September.

The United States Department of War approved a plan with orders effective 4 October 1941 to build an alternate air ferry route skirting the mandated islands and capable of handling planes such as the B-17s.

While a commercial firm was engaged for most of the island stops of the new route, the Canton airfield was under construction by a team of Army Engineers and civilian contractors with a target opening of bomber capability by January 1942.

[7][8] According to its June 1, 1956 worldwide system timetable, Pan American World Airways was serving the airport with Boeing 377 Stratocruiser propliners with a routings of San Francisco or Los Angeles - Honolulu - Canton Island - Nadi (previously known as Nandi in Fiji) - Sydney operated four days a week.

[9][10] However, with the advent of long-range jet aircraft during the 1960s, the air carrier need for the island faded, and the final commercial service landed in November 1965.