Naval Station Tutuila - Samoa Defense Group Area[5] and was partially constructed before war broke out in the Pacific on December 7, 1941.

[6] The airfield was first utilized on March 19, 1942, by U.S. Marine Fighting Squadron VMF-111[7] which arrived by ship from San Diego, California.

[6] The first planes from MAG-13 also arrived at Tafuna Airfield on April 2, 1942 at which point they assumed responsibility for the air defense of American Samoa.

A visual outline of Leone Airfield can be seen from the air today with a straight clearance road starting from the WVUV (AM) radio tower to Midkiff Elementary School.

The service lasted until October 1960, before Hawaiian Airlines repossessed the aircraft it leased Samoan for unpaid rent.

Dignitaries attending included Senator Henry M. Jackson, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs; Representative Michael J. Kirwan, Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Appropriations, Interior and Insular Affairs; Malietoa Tanumafili II; and Prince Tāufaʻāhau Tupou IV, Prime Minister of Tonga.

South Pacific jet services between Sydney (Australia), Auckland (New Zealand), Honolulu (Hawaii) and Papeete (Tahiti) were first offered by Pan American World Airways in 1964 using Boeing 707 aircraft.

Towards the end of its peak commercial passenger aviation period, Pago Pago International Airport also became an ideal refueling stopover for cargo carriers due to the low cost of fuel and landing fees at the time.

With a population that is 3.5 times greater than American Samoa plus greater emphasis that was put on tourism growth, international airline traffic particularly from Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific island countries began to shift from Pago Pago to Faleolo airport.

Runway 08/26 is widely used today by air taxi operators flying to Apia (Fagali'i and Faleolo), Ofu or Tau.

The Departure and Arrival terminal also went through a major expansion in the mid-1970s where buildings and space was doubled in size to handle more passengers.

They were presented with Samoan gifts and entertained with traditional dances and songs before boarding their flight to Honolulu, Hawaiʻi.

[3] A weekly cargo flight from Honolulu, Hawaii is provided by Asia Pacific Airlines.

A new US$12 million Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting (ARFF) Fire Crash station was completed in 2005.

A new control tower has been planned since 2006,[23] but has been delayed due to arguments over funding[24] and lack of traffic.

[26] On January 30, 1974 at about 11:41 pm Samoa local time, a Boeing 707 operating as Pan Am Flight 806 from Auckland, New Zealand, to Los Angeles, California with en route stops in Pago Pago and Honolulu, clipped trees at an elevation of 113 feet (34 m) and about 3,865 feet (1,178 m) short of the runway 05 threshold.

The aircraft continued through the jungle vegetation, struck a 3-foot (0.91 m)-high lava rock wall, and stopped about 3,090 feet (940 m) from the runway threshold.