Point Salines International Airport
Encyclopedia
Maurice Bishop International Airport , 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 mi (8 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.
, whose campus is a short distance from the airport.
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 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 airport was renamed for the late Prime Minister in 2009.
of 41 ft (12 m) above mean sea level. It has one runway
designated 10/28 with an asphalt
surface measuring 2744 metre.
Saint George Parish, Grenada
Saint George is one of the parishes of Grenada, located on the south-western end of the island. The capital of Grenada, St. George, is located in this parish, and it is regarded as the most picturesque capital in the Caribbean. Its horseshoe-shaped harbour is surrounded by the pastel colors of...
. The town of St. George's is about 5 mi (8 km) north of the airport and is the capital of 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 Grenada
Grenada
Grenada is an island country and Commonwealth Realm consisting of the island of Grenada and six smaller islands at the southern end of the Grenadines in the southeastern Caribbean Sea...
. 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 of America in October 1983. 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 UniversitySt. George's University
St. George’s University is an independent international university in Grenada, West Indies, offering degrees in medicine, veterinary medicine, public health, the health sciences, nursing, arts and sciences, and business....
, whose campus is a short distance from the airport.
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 armed construction workers, the Rangers secured all of their objectives on the airfield quickly. The seizure of the airfield allowed United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
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
Pearls Airport
Pearls Airport was Grenada's first airport. It is currently under the management of the Grenada Airports Authority. The airport is not in daily operation. In 1984 it was replaced as Grenada's main airport by the Point Salines International Airport. It is now a construction site and go-kart track...
on the north side of the island — was cited by U.S. President Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
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
Maurice Bishop
Maurice Rupert Bishop was a Grenadian politician and revolutionary who seized power in a coup in 1979 from Eric Gairy and served as Prime Minister of the People's Revolutionary Government of Grenada until 1983, when he was overthrown in another coup by Bernard Coard, a member of his own...
.
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 airport was renamed for the late Prime Minister in 2009.
Facilities
The airport resides at an elevationElevation
The elevation of a geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface ....
of 41 ft (12 m) above mean sea level. It has one runway
Runway
According to ICAO a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and take-off of aircraft." Runways may be a man-made surface or a natural surface .- Orientation and dimensions :Runways are named by a number between 01 and 36, which is generally one tenth...
designated 10/28 with an asphalt
Asphalt
Asphalt or , also known as bitumen, is a sticky, black and highly viscous liquid or semi-solid that is present in most crude petroleums and in some natural deposits, it is a substance classed as a pitch...
surface measuring 2744 metre.
Airlines and destinations
The following airlines serve Grenada:Cargo carriers
External links
- Maurice Bishop International Airport, official site