| Canton Island Airport | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| IATA: CIS – ICAO: PCIS | |||
| Summary | |||
| Location | Kiribati | ||
| Elevation AMSL | 9 ft / 3 m | ||
| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| ft | m | ||
| 09/27 | 6,230 | 1,899 | Asphalt |
Canton Island Airport (IATA: CIS, ICAO: PCIS) is an airport located on Kanton Island, in the Phoenix Islands, in the Republic of Kiribati. It has no commercial airline service.
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During World War II, Kanton (Canton) Island was considered part of the Gilbert Islands. The atoll is a low, narrow rim of land surrounding a large shallow lagoon. It is 4½ miles wide on the west, from which it narrows to the southeast point, which is nine miles distant from the northwest point.
The Americans and British occupied the island in two separate camps. On March 3, 1938 President Franklin Roosevelt placed Canton and Enderbury Island under jurisdiction of the United States Department of the Interior. In April 1939, when Canton and Enderbury were placed under joint British and American control for fifty years, and "thereafter until such time as it may be modified or terminated by mutual consent". During 1938 and 1939 Pan American Airways laid developed the airfield and deepened and cleared the lagoon, then initiated flights to New Zealand using Canton as one of the ports of call.
The airport was used as a military airfield during World War II by the United States Army Air Forces in 1942 and 1943, initially being used by the 40th Ferrying (later Transport) Squadron, Ferrying (later Air Transport) Command as an airfield for moving combat aircraft to forward combat units. The airfield saw various aircraft, including A-20s, B-17s, B-24s, B-25s, B-26s, P-38s, P-40s, C-46s, and C-47s transit the base. In February 1943, the long-range B-24 Liberator Bombers of the 371st Bombardment Squadron being were to the airfield. The airfield was bombarded on 1 November 1943 by the Japanese submarine I-36.
After the war, the airport was returned to civil control.
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.
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