St.Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) debuted its first international airport, the Argyle International Airport (AIA) on February 14th, 2017. This new airport is the largest capital project that has ever been undertaken in the history of the country and will replace the existing ET Joshua Airport which will close simultaneously.
To celebrate this long awaited occasion, a charter flight was organized by the St.Vincent and the Grenadines Tourism Authority in collaboration with GG Tours (www.ggtours.ca) in Toronto. A chartered Sunwing 737-800 aircraft created history by being the first international flight to land at Argyle International Airport from Canada.
Flight #WG262 left Pearson International Airport at 9:30am on February 14th and arrived at AIA at 1540. WG263 will depart AIA at 1655 and land in Toronto at 9:45pm. On February 21st the return trip flight will operate on the same schedule.
The new Argyle International Airport is expected to increase accessibility to this multi island destination and be a key economic driver for the country, attracting direct flights from Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, among other countries, and fuelling investments.
The AIA boasts a 2,743 metre (9,000 foot) runway, 45 metres (150 feet) wide and is designed to accommodate aircraft as large as the Boeing 747-400s. The 171,000 square foot terminal building is designed to handle 1.5 million passengers per year, more than five times the capacity at ET Joshua. It offers 23 commercial spaces, 3 restaurants and several spots available for kiosks.