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The Sir Grantley Adams International Airport (GAIA), (IATA identifier BGI) / (ICAO Airport Code is TBPB) located at 13°14´24" N, 059°29´13" W, is in Seawell, located in the Parish of Christ Church on the island of Barbados in the Eastern Caribbean. This airport was previously known as Seawell Airport before it was renamed in honor of the first Premier of Barbados, Sir Grantley Herbert Adams in 1976.
The Grantley Adams Airport has direct service to destinations in the United States, Canada, Central America, South America, Africa, and Europe and operates as a major gateway to the Eastern Caribbean.
History
Air transportation at the site of present day Grantley Adams International Airport, then known as Seawell Airport goes back as far as the late 1930's. In 1939 a plane from the Royal_Netherlands_Airlines landed on the airport site. At, the time there was merely a grassy strip as the runway. The strip was paved some time later and in 1949 the first Terminal building was built on the site, to replace a shed that was being used until then. This ushered in the Airport being known as Seawell Airport.
Today the Sir Grantley Adams International Airport as it's known handles large aircraft including Boeing 747s. The airport was one of the few destinations in the world where the British Airways' Concorde aircraft visited, before the Concordes were completely retired. The Concorde jets flew to Barbados during the busy UK-Barbados winter season.
Geography
The Sir Grantley Adams International Airport (GAIA) lies 12.9 km(8 mi.) from the centre of the capital city Bridgetown, in an area officially known as Seawell. This is contrary to most informational services stating the airport as being located inside the capital city.
The terrain around the airport is relatively flat. The airport lies in the south-eastern portion of parish of Christ Church, close to the southern tip of the entire island. The airport is provided with easy access to the ABC highway/highway 7 heading towards the capital and locations north and westward on the island.
This airport also serves as the main air-transportation hub for the Eastern Caribbean. The airport is currently under-going a US$100 Million upgrade and expansion by the government, which will see the addition of a brand new arrivals hall adjacent to the current arrivals/departures terminals. During construction, parts of the airport will remain open for business with little disruption.
Airlines
These are some of the airlines that fly to and from the island.
- Air Canada - Toronto
- Air Guadeloupe
- Air Jamaica - Jamaica, Saint_Lucia, Grenada
- Aeropostal - Venezuela
- Air Martinque
- American Airlines - London(Heathrow), Miami
- Amerijet International
- BMI - London(Heathrow)
- Britannia Airways
- British Airways - London(Gatwick)
- BWIA West Indies Airways - Trinidad, Toronto, London(Heathrow) / (Gatwick)
- Caribbean Star
- Continental
- Cubana - Cuba
- Delta
- DHL Air - Cargo
- Fedex - Cargo
- First Choice Airways
- Lauda Air
- Liat
- Mustique Airways
- MyTravel Airways(Canada) - Halifax, Montreal(Dorval), Ottawa, Toronto
- Skyservice(Canada)
- Surinam Airways - Paramaribo
- SVG Air - Union Island, Canouan, Mustique
- Trans Island Air
- United Airlines
- US Airways
- Virgin Atlantic - London Gatwick
- United Parcel Service - Cargo
Redevelopment
Since the Grantley Adams International Airport has become so popular and future air traffic to the facilities are exepected to increase, the government of Barbados has embarked on a US$100 million programme to revamp the Airport's infrastructure. This included repaving the runway, adding a brand new arrivals terminal adjacent to the current building, renovating the current terminal, and bringing the airport infrastructure current for the new millenium.
Contact Information:
Grantley Adams International Airport
Christ Church, Barbados
Tel: 1-246-428-7101
External links
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