Terrance B. Lettsome International Airport

Terrance B. Lettsome International Airport (IATA: EIS, ICAO: TUPJ), previously known as Beef Island Airport, is the main airport serving the British Virgin Islands, a British overseas territory in the Caribbean. The airport serves as the gateway to just about all of the islands within the BVI. The airport is also a gateway for inter-Caribbean travelers headed to the nearby U.S. Virgin Islands. Many travellers fly into Beef Island, with the intention of taking a ferry to the other smaller British Virgin Islands. The airport is located on Beef Island, a small island off the main island of Tortola, to which it is connected by the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge.

Terrance B. Lettsome International Airport
Summary
Airport typePublic
OperatorBVIAA
ServesBritish Virgin Islands British Virgin Islands
LocationBeef Island
Elevation AMSL16 ft / 5 m
Coordinates18°26′44″N 064°32′35″W
Map
EIS is located in British Virgin Islands
EIS
EIS
Location in the British Virgin Islands
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
07/25 1,415 4,642 Asphalt
Source: DAFIF[1]

Overview

The Terrance B. Lettsome airport underwent a major $55 million renovation in 2004. After dredging was completed, the runway was expanded to allow larger planes to operate into the airfield. This renovation was the largest capital project ever undertaken in the territory at that time.

Some of the highlights of the renovation and expansion project include:

  • A new 46,000 sq ft (4,300 m2) terminal building
  • An enlarged flight apron
  • A new control tower
  • 3,700 ft (1,128 m) runway extension
  • New airport road with expanded parking (150 parking stalls)

There is a $20 departure tax for anyone over the age of five years.

The airport houses the BVI Outstation of the Eastern Caribbean Civil Aviation Authority.[2]

Expansion

In 2016 the Government announced an expansion of the airport to increase the runway size by 2,504 feet.[3][4] This followed years of speculation and proposals; discussions about expansion and how to finance it were being undertaken in 2014.[5][6] Although initial reports indicated that the United Kingdom had approved the necessary financial borrowing,[7] later reports suggested that the UK's consent had been withheld in connection with concerns about the financial viability of the project.[8] Under agreed financial protocols, external borrowing by the BVI Government needs to be approved by the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

On 27 December 2016 the Government announced that the tender to expand the airport had been won by China Communications Construction Company.[9] The Premier, Orlando Smith, said "Negotiations will now get underway with the preferred bidder with a view to concluding a contractual agreement within three months, which delivers the right outcome for the people of this territory."[9] According to Government, the runway was proposed to be extended from 4,645 feet to approximately 7,100 feet, and would thereby allow mainline jetliner types such as Boeing 737-800 and Airbus A320 aircraft to fly directly to and from the continental United States and Latin America.

However, in June 2017 the Government appeared to confirm that the proposed runway expansion would not be going forward.[10]

In 2019, a Titan Airways-operated Airbus A318-100 jet landed at the airport, which is the largest aircraft ever operated into the airport.[11]

Airlines and destinations

Passenger
AirlinesDestinations
Air Sunshine Dominica–Douglas-Charles, Nevis, Saint Kitts, Saint Thomas, San Juan
Charter: Saint Croix, Sint Maarten
American Eagle Seasonal: Miami
Cape AirSan Juan
Seasonal: Saint Thomas
Fly BVICharter: Anegada, Castries, Virgin Gorda, Saint Thomas, San Juan, Antigua, Barbados, Dominica-Melville Hall, Providenciales, Grenada, Nevis, Punta Cana, Saint Kitts, Saint Vincent, Vieux Fort
InterCaribbean Airways Antigua, Dominica–Douglas-Charles, San Juan, Santo Domingo–Las Américas
Island Birds Charter: San Juan, Saint Thomas, Saint Croix, Sint Maarten, Anguilla, Antigua, Saint Kitts, Nevis, Barbuda, Dominica-Canefield
LIATAntigua, Barbados, Sint Maarten
Silver AirwaysSan Juan
Sky High Santo Domingo–Las Américas
Trans Anguilla Airways Anguilla, Virgin Gorda
VI Airlink Anegada, Antigua, Saint Kitts, Saint Thomas, Virgin Gorda
Charter: Anguilla, Aruba, Barbados, Bonaire, Canouan, Curaçao, Dominica-Melville Hall, Fort-de-France, Grand Turk, Grenada, Kingston, La Romana, Montego Bay, Nassau, Nevis, Pointe-à-Pitre, Port-au-Prince, Port of Spain, Providenciales, Puerto Plata, Punta Cana, Saint Vincent, San Juan, Santo Domingo-Las Américas, Sint Maarten, Dominica-Canefield
Winair Sint Maarten

Historically, in 1986 the airport had scheduled passenger jet service operated by British Caribbean Airways,[12][13] with direct flights to Miami. British Caribbean operated a British Aerospace BAe 146-100 jetliner. This was only jet service operated into Tortola at that time.

The proposed return of jet service to Miami

Thirty years after the short-lived British Caribbean Airways offered jet service to Miami utilizing British Aerospace BAe 146-100 aircraft, Tortola-based BVI Airways announced the start of new nonstop Miami service using Avro RJ100 jet airliners with this aircraft being a later version of the Bae 146 jet. However the new service never flew, and BVI Airways is now presumed to be defunct[14] having laid off all of its staff shortly before Hurricane Irma stuck in 2017.[15]

American Airlines has announced it would initiate a new nonstop jet service between Tortola and Miami on June 1, 2023, with these flights being operated by its American Eagle code sharing affiliate with Embraer 175 regional jets.[16]

Air BVI

Air BVI was an airline based at the airport which operated scheduled passenger service from the early the 1970s to the mid 1990s with Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander and Douglas DC-3 prop aircraft as well as with Hawker Siddeley HS 748 turboprops during its existence. The regional air carrier served Anegada, Antigua, La Romana, Dominican Republic, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, San Juan and Virgin Gorda besides Tortola and also operated a small hub at the airport.

Cargo
Airline Destinations
Air Cargo Carriers Dominica–Douglas-Charles, San Juan
Air Sunshine Anguilla, Dominica, Nevis, St. Thomas, San Juan
DHL Aviation St. Barthelemy
FedEx Feeder
operated by Mountain Air Cargo		 San Juan

Accidents and incidents
  • On 5 April 1971, a Vinair Douglas C-47 with registration N57372 operating an international cargo flight from San Juan, Puerto Rico crashed upon landing. The aircraft was heavily damaged and was written off.[17]
  • On 6 May 1993, a Short 330 turboprop operated by Atlantic Air BVI overran the runway and landed in the sea after aborting on takeoff. All passengers and crew survived. The airframe was damaged beyond economic repair and was sunk as a scuba diving site off Great Dog Island.[18]
  • On 18 July 2018, a private plane crashed after takeoff.[19] The pilot, who was the sole occupant in the plane, died.

See also

References
  1. Airport information for Terrance B. Lettsome International Airport at Great Circle Mapper. Source: DAFIF (effective October 2006).
  2. "BVI Outstation." Eastern Caribbean Civil Aviation Authority. Retrieved on 23 December 2012.
  3. "Airport Development Project To Be A "Game Changer"". GIS. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
  4. "Gov't picks model, to continue operate airport". BVI News. 26 January 2016.
  5. "Projected Cost Of Airport Expansion Not Coming Down - Legislator". Platinum News. 13 February 2014.
  6. "PEP & VIP Oppose Airport Expansion Project". The Island Sun. 1 November 2014.
  7. "UK agrees to 'affordable' airport project in BVI". BVI News. 21 January 2016.
  8. "UK raised concern about airport traffic, other plans". BVI News. 9 August 2016.
  9. "Chinese company selected for airport project". BVI News. 27 December 2016.
  10. "Airport Project Killed?". BVI Platinum. 13 June 2017.
  11. https://www.facebook.com/BVIGovernment/videos/the-largest-commercial-flight-to-arrive-in-the-bvi-lands-on-beef-island-titan-ai/2755490487827318/
  12. "British Aerospace BAe-146-100 - British Caribbean Airways | Aviation Photo #1768255 | Airliners.net".
  13. "British Caribbean Airways - Bruce Drum (airlinersgallery)'s Photos". airlinersgallery.smugmug.com. Archived from the original on 15 September 2014.
  14. "Will BVI Airways ever fly? Date remain unknown on 'clear for take off'". Virgin Islands News Online. 19 December 2016. The controversial bail out deal where a defunct airline that left owing the British Virgin Islands Airports Authority (BVIAA) close to US$100,000 is in the news again. The National Democratic Party (NDP) Government pumped some $7M of tax payers monies into the defunct BVI Airways, with a promise for direct flights between Miami, Florida, USA and the Terrence B. Lettsome International Airport at Beef Island. The public has been given three start dates for when the first flight was to commence; at the end of October 2016, the other end of November 2016 and the final December 2016. To date none of the dates have come to pass and the public, the media and the Opposition remain skeptical about the Government's investment on the taxpayers back.
  15. "We need money to fly – BVI Airways lays off staff". BVI News. 18 July 2017. Retrieved 23 July 2017.
  16. https://www.aa.com/homePage.do, American Airlines flight schedules between Miami and Tortola & American Airlines newsroom press release
  17. "N57372 Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 19 September 2010.
  18. "Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 7 February 2011.
  19. "One Dead In Beef Island Plane Crash". BVI Platinum. 19 July 2018.
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