St Vincent and the Grenadines / Airport

There are several airports in St Vincent and the Grenadines, though by no means all the small islands have them. Your port of entry to the country will depend on your destination island (see below, Which Airport?). Be aware that none of the airports can take any plane bigger than a 50-seater and so no scheduled flights come from farther afield than San Juan in Puerto Rico (in the northern Caribbean) or Barbados. In terms of private jets, the runways in Canouan and St Vincent are long enough to receive long distance flights. An airport expansion to receive larger planes in St Vincent itself is projected. 

Most of the airstrips in the smaller islands of the Grenadines do not have landing lights, so you can only fly into them during daylight hours, which is a potential problem if there is a delay in your long-haul leg. In summer it is obviously light for longer (till about 7pm), so it is less likely to cause a problem, but in winter it means you are more likely to be stuck overnight in your transit island. Also, in case you just make it but your luggage doesn’t, make sure to carry some tropical clothes in your hand luggage. 

The largest airport is on St Vincent itself (ET Joshua Airport, airport code SVD), which is located at the southern tip of the island, at Arnos Vale. This is really the main airport for scheduled flights into St Vincent and the Grenadines. The runway can receive night flights and takes up to 50-seaters. The terminal building has a restaurant and bar upstairs and a few shops in the departure area as well as a duty-free shop in the departure lounge selling cigarettes and alcohol (but no food). There is also an ATM and exchange bureau. Some improvements are scheduled for the coming years, including terminal facilities, enlargement of the apron and resurfacing the runway. A new airportthat can take international jets is being constructed in the Argyle area (on the eastern coast of the island) and is due for completion around 2013.

Bequia

JF Mitchell Aiport (BQA) is set in the Paget Farm area in the south-west of the island. Bequia is an ‘interesting’ airstrip because of cross-winds. It is not used that much because of the good ferry connections to the other islands and the landing lights are often not working, so flights may not be able to land after dark.

Canouan (CIW)

Set midway down the Grenadine chain, Canouan can also receive 50-seaters. The airstrip is in the south-west of the island and has some attractive thatched terminal buildings painted in earthy colours. The Arrivals and Departures halls are air-conditioned and there is a small café. The airstrip was recently extended in a land reclamation project and is now accessible to larger aircraft. Private jets do fly in from the States.

Smaller Islands

Just two of the smaller islands have airports, Mustique (MQS) and Union Island (UNI). Union Island has a bar and a gift shop outside, but nothing inside the terminal. It serves as a transit point for the southern Grenadines – Mayreau and the smaller islands, Petit St Vincent and Palm Island, and it sees day trips for the Tobago Cays from as far afield as Barbados, Tobago and St Lucia. 

There are no strips on Mayreau, the Tobago Cays or PSV. In the past there has been a strip on Palm Island, but it is no longer active.