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V. C. Bird International Airport

"TAPA" redirects here. For other uses, see Tapa.

V. C. Bird International Airport (IATA: ANU, ICAO: TAPA) is an international airport located on the island of Antigua, 8 km (5.0 mi) northeast of St. John's, the capital of Antigua and Barbuda.

V. C. Bird International Airport
Summary
Airport typePublic
OperatorAntigua and Barbuda Airport Authority
ServesSt. John's, Antigua and Barbuda
LocationOsbourn, Antigua and Barbuda
Hub for
Elevation AMSL62 ft / 19 m
Coordinates17°08′12″N 061°47′35″W / 17.13667°N 61.79306°W / 17.13667; -61.79306
Websitehttp://vcbia.com
Map
ANU is located in Antigua and Barbuda
ANU
ANU
Location in Antigua
ANU is located in Caribbean
ANU
ANU
ANU (Caribbean)
Map
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
07/25 3,038 9,967 Asphalt
Statistics (2018)
Passengers981,159
Passenger change 17-18NA
Aircraft movements38,305
Movements change 17-18NA
Source: DAFIF,[1][2] 2009 World Airport Traffic Report.[3]

History

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The former terminal, now used as offices, but occasionally has general aviation-related flights.

The airport originally was operated by the United States Army Air Forces.

The airport was built as a United States Army Air Forces base around 1941 and named Coolidge Airfield after Capt. Hamilton Coolidge (1895–1918), a United States Army Air Service pilot killed in World War I.

Flying units assigned to the airfield were:

Renamed Coolidge Air Force Base (Coolidge AFB) in 1948, it was closed as a result of budgetary cutbacks in 1949, with the right of re-entry retained by the United States. Agreements were subsequently reached with the United Kingdom and, later, the Antigua government upon independence, for the establishment and maintenance of missile tracking facilities. Antigua Air Station was established on a portion of the former Coolidge AFB. As of 2011, NASA continues to utilize the Antigua facility for launch tracking services on an as-needed basis; and did so for the launch of the Mars Science Laboratory on 26 November 2011.[4]

Upon the closure of the base in 1949, it became a civil airport. It was known as Coolidge International Airport until 1985 when it was named in honour of Sir Vere Cornwall Bird (1910–1999), the first prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda.

In December 2005, the Antigua and Barbuda Millennium Airport Corporation announced it would invite tenders to construct the first phase of a new passenger terminal designed to serve the airport for 30 years. In 2012, they announced the construction of its second terminal.

The new terminal became operational on 26 August 2015. All flights operate from the new facility. The terminal covers 23,000 square meters (247,570 square feet), with four jet bridges, modern security screening facilities, up-to-date passenger processing and monitoring facilities, and a CCTV security system. It contains 46 check-in counters, 15 self-check-in kiosks, 5 baggage carousels, a mini food court, multiple VIP lounges, a bank, retail stores, first-class lounges, restaurants, and other facilities. Other improvements included a newly constructed car park; parallel to the old terminal, along with other airport offices.[5]

Airlines and destinations

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Passenger

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AirlinesDestinations
Air Canada Rouge Toronto–Pearson
American Airlines Miami, New York–JFK
Seasonal: Charlotte
Anguilla Air Services Anguilla[6]
BMN Air Barbuda, Montserrat
British Airways Aruba,[7] London–Gatwick, Saint Kitts
Seasonal: Grenada[8]
CalvinAir Helicopters Barbuda, Dominica–Canefield, Montserrat, Nevis, Saint Kitts
Caribbean Airlines Barbados, Dominica–Douglas-Charles,[9] Kingston–Norman Manley, Port of Spain, Saint Kitts,[10] San Juan,[11] Tortola[11]
Condor Seasonal: Frankfurt[12][13]
Delta Air Lines Atlanta
Seasonal: New York–JFK (resumes January 11, 2025)[14]
FlyMontserrat Barbuda, Montserrat, Nevis
Frontier Airlines San Juan (begins February 15, 2025)[15]
InterCaribbean Airways Barbados, Providenciales, Tortola
JetBlue New York–JFK
LIAT20 Castries, Georgetown-Cheddi Jagan,[16] Saint Vincent–Argyle[17]
Norse Atlantic Airways[18] Seasonal Charter: London–Gatwick, Manchester (UK)
Sky High Santo Domingo–Las Americas
St Barth Commuter Saint Barthelemy[citation needed]
Sunrise Airways Barbados (begins December 2, 2024),[19] Castries,[20] Dominica–Douglas-Charles,[21] Fort-de-France (begins December 3, 2024),[19] Grenada,[19] Pointe-à-Pitre (begins December 1, 2024),[19] Port-au-Prince,[22] Saint Kitts,[23] Saint Vincent–Argyle,[19] Santo Domingo–Las Americas,[19] Sint Maarten,[24] Tortola[19]
Sunwing Airlines Seasonal: Toronto–Pearson
SVG Air Dominica–Canefield (begins November 24, 2024),[25][26]
Tradewind Aviation Anguilla,[27] Saint Barthelemy
United Airlines Newark
VI Airlink Tortola
Virgin Atlantic London–Heathrow
WestJet Toronto–Pearson
Winair Dominica–Douglas-Charles, Saint Barthelemy, Saint Kitts, Sint Maarten, Tortola

Cargo

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AirlinesDestinations
Air Cargo Carriers Dominica–Douglas-Charles
Ameriflight Dominica–Douglas-Charles, San Juan
Amerijet International Miami
DHL Aviation Dominica–Douglas-Charles, San Juan, Sint Maarten
FedEx Feeder Dominica–Douglas-Charles, San Juan

Ground transportation

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Taxis and rental cars are available at the airport, although there is no public bus service.

Other facilities

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Statistics

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The airport was opened on 20 August 2015, and has a processing capacity of 1,700 passengers. The airport is open 24 hours a day and is serviced by more than 17 airlines.[30]

Accidents and incidents

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  • On 10 May 2004, a LIAT de Havilland Canada DHC-8-311 flight made an emergency landing after one of its wheels fell off shortly after takeoff. The flight operated by the Antigua-based airline had departed from St. Maarten en route to St. Kitts when one of its wheels reportedly fell off. The Dash 8-311 turboprop was diverted to Antigua and was able to land safely on its three remaining wheels, without causing damage to the aircraft. None of the 24 passengers and three crew members were injured. The airline has launched an investigation into the incident.
  • On 12 November 2008, a LIAT de Havilland Canada DHC-8-311 circled V. C. Bird International Airport in Antigua following reports of landing gear malfunction. The de Havilland Dash 8 -311 aircraft should have landed at the Robert Bradshaw International Airport in St Kitts but was diverted to Antigua because of the problem. It turned out that the landing gear was in order, but the indicators in the cockpit gave a reading that there was a fault. Firefighters, medical personnel and police were on alert but, after clearance, the aircraft landed safely with its 42 passengers and three crew members.
  • On 7 October 2012, FlyMontserrat Flight 107, a FlyMontserrat Britten-Norman Islander took off and later crashed a few feet off the runway, killing the pilot and 2 of the 3 passengers on board.[31] due to significant contamination of the aircraft's fuel by water.[32]

References

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  This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency

  1. ^ "Airport information for TAPA". World Aero Data. Archived from the original on 5 March 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) Data current as of October 2006. Source: DAFIF.
  2. ^ Airport information for ANU / TAPA at Great Circle Mapper. Source: DAFIF (effective October 2006).
  3. ^ Airport Council International's 2009 World Airport Traffic Report
  4. ^ "Mars Science Lander launch coverage". NASA TV. NASA. Retrieved 26 November 2011.
  5. ^ "V.C Bird International Airport - Airport Development". Retrieved 6 June 2015.
  6. ^ Liu, Jim. "Anguilla Air Services adds Antigua route from Nov 2020". Routesonline. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
  7. ^ "British Airways Launches Gatwick - Aruba & Georgetown". 10 August 2022.
  8. ^ "Timetables". British Airways.
  9. ^ "Caribbean Airlines".[full citation needed]
  10. ^ "Caribbean Airlines 3Q23 Network Additions". Aeroroutes. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
  11. ^ a b "Caribbean Airlines Improves Connectivity To Antigua, BVI and elsewhere". Antigua News Room. 12 August 2024. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
  12. ^ "Condor Is Resuming Flights to Antigua". Antigua News Room. 18 October 2024. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
  13. ^ "Condor restarts service to Antigua and Barbuda". 5 March 2024.
  14. ^ "Delta NW24 Caribbean Network Additions". Aeroroutes. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
  15. ^ "Frontier Airlines announces return to Antigua & Barbuda with Non-stop service to San Juan". Antigua Breaking News. 19 November 2024. Retrieved 19 November 2024.
  16. ^ https://newsroom.gy/2024/11/14/liat-2020-launches-direct-flight-to-georgetown
  17. ^ https://antiguanewsroom.com/liat-2020-to-commence-inaugural-flights-to-st-vincent-and-the-grenadines-on-october-4
  18. ^ "Norse Atlantic to operate Caribbean flights from Gatwick and Manchester with P&O Cruises".
  19. ^ a b c d e f g "Sunrise Airways NW24 Caribbean Network Additions". Aeroroutes. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
  20. ^ "Sunrise Airways Adds 3 Antigua Routes from late-May 2024".
  21. ^ "Sunrise Airways Adds 3 Antigua Routes from late-May 2024".
  22. ^ "Sunrise Airways Expands St. Maarten Service from late-July 2024".
  23. ^ "Sunrise Airways Adds 3 Antigua Routes from late-May 2024".
  24. ^ "Sunrise Airways Expands St. Maarten Service from late-July 2024".
  25. ^ "SVG Air Launches New Routes to St. Lucia, Dominica, Antigua". St.VincentTimes. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
  26. ^ "SVG Air introduces new route linking four OECS nations". SearchLight. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
  27. ^ "Tradewind Aviation 1Q24 Anguilla Network Expansion". Aeroroutes. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  28. ^ "Antigua Outstation." Eastern Caribbean Civil Aviation Authority. Retrieved on 23 December 2012.
  29. ^ "Meet Antigua Artist Heather Doram". Yachting Mag. 8 October 2021. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
  30. ^ "Airport Statistics – V.C. Bird International Airport".
  31. ^ "Fly Montserrat Airplane Crash in Antigua reported." Spice Media Group. 8 October 2012. Retrieved on 8 October 2012.
  32. ^ Eastern Caribbean Civil Aviation Authority, ECCAA. "Interim Report Released on Cause of Fly Montserrat Crash: Water In Fuel Feeding System". MNI Alive. Archived from the original on 4 January 2013. Retrieved 14 October 2012. ()
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