Melville Hall Airport is an airport

Airport

An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...

 located on the northeast coast of Dominica

Dominica

Dominica , officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island nation in the Lesser Antilles region of the Caribbean Sea, south-southeast of Guadeloupe and northwest of Martinique. Its size is and the highest point in the country is Morne Diablotins, which has an elevation of . The Commonwealth...

, 2 mi (3.2 km) northwest of Marigot

Marigot, Dominica

Marigot is the largest settlement of Saint Andrew Parish in northeastern Dominica. The village has a population of 2,676 people, and is home to a Fisheries Complex as well as the island's main airport. It is the birthplace of local politician Edison James, and cricket umpire Billy...

, it is about one hour away from the second largest city Portsmouth

Portsmouth, Dominica

Portsmouth is the second largest town in Dominica, with 2,977 inhabitants. It lies on the Indian River on Dominica's northwest coast, in Saint John Parish. Cabrits National Park is located on a peninsula to the north of town. Portsmouth has its own sea port in Prince Rupert Bay.Portsmouth was...

. It is one of only two airports in the island nation

Island nation

An island country is a state whose primary territory consists of one or more islands or parts of islands. As of 2011, 47 of the 193 UN member states are island countries.-Politics:...

 of Dominica, the other being Canefield Airport

Canefield Airport

Canefield Airport , is the airport serving Roseau, Dominica. It is one of only two airports in the island nation of Dominica, the other being Melville Hall Airport....

 located three miles (5 km) northeast of Roseau

Roseau

-Architecture:The central district of Roseau is tightly packed with small and large houses and even larger modern concrete structures. There is little green or open space situated within the city, and this is even more so today, as many of the courtyards which was once commonplace within the city...

. Night service to the airport has recently been approved after a series of tests and studies by the Eastern Caribbean Civil Aviation Authority and the International Civil Aviation Authority respectively.

History

The Melville Hall area was chosen as the site for Dominica's main airport in 1944, for it was the only place on the island with extensive flat land. It was only after the completion of the Transinsular Road from Belles to Marigot, in 1958, that work on the airport began. The facility opened on 22 November 1961, and was first served by Dakotas from BWIA.

In 2006 an airport expansion and upgrade program began which entailed the expansion of the terminal building to include a new departure lounge, customs and immigration section and check in area. The runway and apron was also extended and new night landing and navigational aids were installed. These enhancements had an extended completion date of mid-2010.

Night landings at the airport began on 20 September 2010; the first flight, from LIAT, flew from V.C. Bird International Airport in Antigua. The Netherlands Antilles' Winair and Venezuela's Conviasa

Conviasa

Conviasa is an airline with its headquarters on the grounds of Simón Bolívar International Airport in Maiquetía, Venezuela, near Caracas. It operates services to domestic destinations and to destinations in the Caribbean and South America...

 will also serve night flights to Melville Hall.

Airlines and destinations

Charter

External links

• Melville Hall Airport Expansion Project Continues, 15 Feb 2006