Maurice Bishop International Airport
IATA: GND – ICAO: TGPY + Maurice Bishop International Airport Location of airport in Grenada
Summary
Airport type		Public
Operator		Grenada Airports Authority
Location		St. George's, Grenada
Elevation AMSL		41 ft / 12 m
Coordinates		12°00′15″N 061°47′10″W / 12.00417°N 61.78611°W / 12.00417; -61.78611
Website		www.mbiagrenada.com
Runways
Direction	Length		Surface
	ft	m
10/28	9,003	2,744	Asphalt
Source: DAFIF

Maurice Bishop International Airport (IATA: GND, ICAO: TGPY), formerly known as Point Salines International Airport, is located in the parish of St. George's. The town of St. George's is about 5 miles (8.0 km) north of the airport and is the capital of the island nation of Grenada. The airport is located on Point Salines, the most southwestern point of the island.

History

The unfinished airport was chosen as the jump off point for the invasion of the Island by the United States to restore order there after hard-line pro-Communist elements within Grenada’s government and military seized power in October 1983. More than 500 Rangers from 1st and 2nd Battalions of the United States Army 75th Ranger Regiment conducted a risky daylight low altitude parachute assault onto the airport. Despite resistance from Grenadian armed forces (PRA - People's Revolutionary Army) and Cuban forces (NOT Cuban regular military forces - but armed construction workers.), the Rangers secured all of their objectives on the airfield quickly. The seizure of the airfield allowed United States Air Force C-141 transport planes to land and unload paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division.

The building of the airport — designed to replace the obsolete Pearls Airport on the north side of the island — was cited by U.S. President Ronald Reagan as evidence that the Grenadian government intended to allow it to be used as a way point for Soviet military aircraft en route to Cuba. He buttressed this claim with the evidence that it was being built, in part, by Cuban workers. The contention that the airport had any military function was vehemently denied by Grenada’s Prime Minister Maurice Bishop. Bishop and his government contended that the Point Salines airport was intended to make the island more accessible to European and North American tourists. The long range jets that carried such tourists could not land on the short and geographically difficult runway at the existing airport, Pearls. As a result, tourists bound for Grenada had to put up with the delays, expenses and perceived risks of changing to smaller planes flown by regional carriers. The Grenadian government said they hoped their tourist trade would dramatically increase if direct flights from Europe and North America were possible. The airport itself was designed by a Canadian firm and the construction contracts were awarded to mostly European contractors.

The event that precipitated the U.S.-led invasion of Grenada was not the construction of the airport, but, rather, a violent coup in which Prime Minister Bishop was killed. The American justification for the invasion was the perceived threat to American medical students at St. George's University, whose campus is a short distance from the Maurice Bishop International Airport.

Facilities

The airport resides at an elevation of 41 feet (12 m) above mean sea level. It has one runway designated 10/28 with an asphalt surface measuring 9,003 by 148 feet (2,744 × 45 m).

Airlines and destinations

The following airlines serve Grenada:

Cargo carriers

• Amerijet (Trinidad, Miami, Santiago (DR), Santo Domingo)
• DHL (St.Vincent, Trinidad)
• FedEx (St.Vincent, Aguadilla)
• LIAT Quikpak (St.Vincent, Barbados, Tobago, Trinidad, Canouan)

The content above was published at Airports-Worldwide.com in 2010.
We don't guarantee the information is fresh and accurate. The data may be wrong or outdated.
For more up-to-date information please refer to other sources.