Barbuda International Airport Officially Opened

In a historic occasion for the twin-island paradise of Antigua and Barbuda, the Barbuda International Airport was officially opened on October 3, 2024, signaling the start of a new chapter for Barbuda’s connectivity, tourism, and economic growth.

Barbuda’s new airport now allows for direct connections to global destinations and offers an enhanced travel experience for visitors and residents into the island.

The $US14M Barbuda International Airport boasts a 6,100-foot runway, significantly longer (than the 1,640 feet runway at Codrington Airport) and twice as wide as the old Codrington Airport, enabling it to accommodate larger aircraft, including private jets and planes such as the Embraer E-170. Equipped with a full LED runway lighting system, the airport now allows for regular night landings. A 600-foot parking apron can host multiple private jets, enhancing Barbuda's appeal as a luxury destination. Additionally, a modern Fixed Base Operator (FBO) terminal developed by PLH (Peace, Love and Happiness) will cater to high-end travellers seeking Barbuda’s beaches, serenity, nature and exclusive experiences.

“This new Barbuda International Airport is a shining testament to the visionary leadership of our government”, said Antigua and Barbuda’s Minister of Tourism, Civil Aviation and Transportation, The Honourable Charles Fernandez. “We have taken bold steps to modernize this island, ensuring that its air links are second to none in this region so that Barbuda can also take advantage of the remarkable growth in our country’s tourism that we have seen this year.”
Stay-over tourism air arrivals in Antigua and Barbuda are reported to have grown at a rate of +17% in the first 8 months of 2024 where the destination welcomed 229,225 visitors. This is a +13% growth on arrivals at the same time in 2019, the best year for tourism arrivals.

The opening of the Barbuda International Airport is a major milestone in the government's vision to position Barbuda as a premier luxury destination. It reflects Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister, The Hon. Gaston Browne’s commitment to transforming Barbuda into one of the most prosperous and flourishing sustainable island communities in the Caribbean and beyond.

“An international airport is a game changer for Barbuda, as we look to attracting the luxury traveller and private jet owners from around the world to Barbuda and showcasing the island’s beauty, pink sand beaches, eco-experiences, wellness attributes and culture to all our visitors”, said Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority CEO, Colin C. James.
In additional exciting news, Minister Fernandez announced that, “for the first time ever, Barbuda will see 23 luxury cruise ship calls bringing 5,039 cruise passengers to this beautiful island for the upcoming winter cruise season.”

At the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Governor General of Antigua and Barbuda, His Excellency Sir Rodney Williams, Prime Minister, The Hon. Gaston Browne, Tourism Minister, Charles Fernandez, and other government ministers, dignitaries and industry stakeholders celebrated the official opening of the airport. Currently, Liat 20, BMN Air (SVG), Calvin Air, and private jets via the PLH FBO are listed for travel into the new airport.

The Government of Antigua and Barbuda has announced further expansion plans for the Barbuda International Airport, which is located a 10-minute drive from Codrington village.

CAPABILITES OF THE NEW BARBUDA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT:

The Barbuda (Bar-byew’da) International Airport (BIA) is an ICAO-3C airport, while Codrington is classified as ICAO-1C.
BIA has a runway length of 6,100 feet, compared to Codrington's 1,640 feet.
The runway width at BIA is 100 feet, whereas Codrington's is 50 feet.
BIA has a full LED simple runway lighting system, while Codrington only has runway edge and taxiway lighting.
BIA features two wind indicators, while Codrington has only one.
BIA has an automatic weather observation system, while Codrington has none. For the first time in modern history, the Antigua and Barbuda Meteorological Services will receive real-time data from an airport in Barbuda
The apron at BIA is 600 feet by 400 feet, compared to Codrington's much smaller apron of 30 feet by 30 feet.
BIA has a rescue and firefighting category of 5, while Codrington is a category 1.
The terminal at BIA covers 1,248 square feet, divided into arrivals and departure terminals, whereas Codrington's terminal is just 800 square feet.
BIA has an FBO terminal, whereas Codrington has none.
BIA can accommodate aircraft up to the size of the Embraer E-170, such as the aircraft used by American Eagle into Douglas Charles Airport in Dominica. The largest aircraft Codrington can accommodate is the De Havilland Twin Otter.
The departure area now has a seating capacity of 25 plus as opposed to 15 at Codrington Airport
The airport code for BIA is TAPB.

Flights:

The aircrafts that are listed for travel into the new airport are:

Liat 20

BMN Air (SVG)
Calvin Air
Private jets will land at the PLH FBO.

Location:

The Barbuda International Airport is a 10-minute drive from Codrington village.

Barbuda (Bar-byew’da), which lies 27 miles northeast of its sister island Antigua, has a land area of 62-square-miles (or 14 miles by 8 miles in size). A low-lying coral island, known for its untouched pink coral and white sand beaches, its highest point is only 125 ft above sea level.

Sunny and warm all year with soothing trade winds, the average temperature ranges from the mid-seventies in the winter to the mid-eighties in the summer. Annual rainfall averages only 45 inches, making Antigua and Barbuda the sunniest of the eastern Caribbean islands and the northeast trade winds are nearly constant, flagging only in September.

The Capital of Barbuda is Codrington. A majority of Barbuda’s over 1,500 inhabitants live in Codrington.

There are exclusive resorts on the island: Barbuda Belle being the main resort. Barbuda also has a selection of guest houses and B&B’s. Small properties include Barbuda Cottages and Palm Tree Guesthouse.

There is a small selection of restaurants to include the popular Uncle Roddy’s, The Sage Table, The Glass Lounge, Wa’Omoni’s and the internationally recognized Nobu. Snack bars on the island, also offer traditional Barbudan cuisine and seafood specialties.

Foods that are indigenous to Barbuda include: venison (deer meat), lobster, conch, fish, land crab, land turtle, hermit crab, fungee, ducana, white beans and pigeon peas.

Swimming, diving, snorkeling, shipwreck exploring, deep sea fishing, bird watching, turtle-watching hiking in and up the caves, horseback riding, and beachcombing are most often the activities of choice on the island. Sights, other than the beaches, most often visited include:

Frigate Bird Sanctuary, accessible by boat, is home to 170 species of birds including the Magnificent Frigate Birds.
Dark Cave, a low, boulder-hung passage that leads 400 feet underground to (almost) fresh-water pools teeming with rare blind shrimp and certain species of crustacean found nowhere else in the world.
Darby’s Cave featuring a large sink hole, about 350 feet in diameter and 70 feet deep that contains a small but lush rainforest.
Martello Tower, built in c.1745, is an old fort used both for defence and as a look-out along the south coast
Indian Cave is one of the most interesting prehistoric sites in Barbuda. Located at Two Foot Bay the caves have several chambers where bays can be found hanging and small Amerindian petroglyphs (rock carvings) can be seen.
Low Bay and Palmetto Point are two of the best beaches to witness the pink sands of Barbuda. The pink shells cover the beaches in abundance from November – April.
Barbuda’s pink sand beaches are covered with an abundance of pink shells from October – May.

Sight-seeing tours with lunch are available at prices starting at US$125 per person.

The flight from Antigua to Barbuda's new international airport takes approximately 15 minutes. While a passport will generally be required for travel to Barbuda International Airport, visitors traveling between Antigua and Barbuda (in either direction) only need a valid government-issued ID, not a passport. Visitors can also opt to take the Barbuda Express, a 90-minute catamaran ferry and the Codrington Express ferry operating between the islands, and docking in Codrington Village. The Barbuda Ferry cost EC$230 inclusive of departure tax. Once on the island, taxis and bikes are available.

Individuals must have a valid driver’s licence. Visitors must obtain a temporary Antigua and Barbuda driver’s licence which can be obtained from the Antigua and Barbuda Transport Board or the Licence Office in Barbuda at a cost of US$20 or EC$50 and is valid for three months. Vehicle rentals are US$60 or EC$165 per day.