The original airstrips at Nadi were built by New Zealand from August 1939, being completed in March 1940; they were paid for by the British colonial authorities.

The work was requested by the United States of America for the South Pacific air ferry route and paid for as reverse Lend-Lease.

Nadi was selected as the major airport for Fiji mainly due to its location on the drier west coast of Viti Levu.

Air New Zealand Flight 24 made a scheduled stop to refuel, en route from Tokyo (Narita Airport) to Auckland.

Ahmjed Ali, an aircraft refueller, used his security card to board the aeroplane and, once in the cockpit, showed the captain that he was carrying dynamite.

The passengers and cabin crew were able to disembark, while Air New Zealand negotiators in Auckland and Ali's relatives in the Nadi control tower attempted to defuse the escalating situation.

Eventually, the flight engineer hit Ali over the head with a bottle of duty-free whisky, and he was handed over to the Nadi police.

[8] In 2019, Airports Fiji announced that Nadi would undergo further improvements, with plans for a new runway extending into the sea and an extension of the international terminal, as well as other projects including smart technologies, added taxiways and a new administration building, fire station and control tower.

A large turnaround area, suitable for Boeing 747s, is to the left of the threshold of Runway 02, in case meteorological factors make departure to the north necessary.

[13] This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency Media related to Nadi International Airport at Wikimedia Commons