V. C. Bird International Airport (IATA: ANU, ICAO: TAPA) is an international airport located on the islandofAntigua, 8 km (5.0 mi) northeast of St. John's, the capital of Antigua and Barbuda.
V. C. Bird International Airport
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| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
| Operator | Antigua and Barbuda Airport Authority | ||||||||||
| Serves | St. John's, Antigua and Barbuda | ||||||||||
| Location | Osbourn, Antigua and Barbuda | ||||||||||
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| Elevation AMSL | 62 ft / 19 m | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 17°08′12″N 061°47′35″W / 17.13667°N 61.79306°W / 17.13667; -61.79306 | ||||||||||
| Website | http://vcbia.com | ||||||||||
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  ANU Location in Antigua Show map of Antigua and Barbuda ANU ANU (Caribbean) Show map of Caribbean | |||||||||||
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The airport originally was operated by the United States Army Air Forces.
The airport was built as a United States Army Air Forces base around 1941 and named Coolidge Airfield after Capt. Hamilton Coolidge (1895–1918), a United States Army Air Service pilot killed in World War I.
Flying units assigned to the airfield were:
Renamed Coolidge Air Force Base (Coolidge AFB) in 1948, it was closed as a result of budgetary cutbacks in 1949, with the right of re-entry retained by the United States. Agreements were subsequently reached with the United Kingdom and, later, the Antigua government upon independence, for the establishment and maintenance of missile tracking facilities. Antigua Air Station was established on a portion of the former Coolidge AFB. As of 2011[update], NASA continues to utilize the Antigua facility for launch tracking services on an as-needed basis; and did so for the launch of the Mars Science Laboratory on 26 November 2011.[4]
Upon the closure of the base in 1949, it became a civil airport. It was known as Coolidge International Airport until 1985 when it was named in honour of Sir Vere Cornwall Bird (1910–1999), the first prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda.
In December 2005, the Antigua and Barbuda Millennium Airport Corporation announced it would invite tenders to construct the first phase of a new passenger terminal designed to serve the airport for 30 years. In 2012, they announced the construction of its second terminal.
The new terminal became operational on 26 August 2015. All flights operate from the new facility. The terminal covers 23,000 square meters (247,570 square feet), with four jet bridges, modern security screening facilities, up-to-date passenger processing and monitoring facilities, and a CCTV security system. It contains 46 check-in counters, 15 self-check-in kiosks, 5 baggage carousels, a mini food court, multiple VIP lounges, a bank, retail stores, first-class lounges, restaurants, and other facilities. Other improvements included a newly constructed car park; parallel to the old terminal, along with other airport offices.[5]
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Taxis and rental cars are available at the airport, although there is no public bus service.
The airport was opened on August 20, 2015, and has a processing capacity of 1,700 passengers. The airport is open 24 hours a day and is serviced by more than 17 airlines.[20]
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) Data current as of October 2006. Source: DAFIF.
Media related to V. C. Bird International Airport at Wikimedia Commons
Aviation
