Nukufetau Airfield was built by United States Navy Seabees on Motulalo island as an alternative strip to Nanumea and Funafuti airfields to allow for further dispersal of aircraft in the Ellice Islands (now Tuvalu).

Nearly 50,000 coconut trees had to be cut down and about 2,000 feet of the runways were built on fill over swamp.

[2] The first plane to land on the airfield was a PB4Y Privateer piloted by Major General Charles F. B.

[8] After the Pacific War the airfield was dismantled and the land returned to its owners, however as the coral base was compacted to make the runways the land now provides poor ground for growing coconuts.

[9] This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency Citations Bibliography Journal Web