Douglas–Charles Airport (IATA: DOM, ICAO: TDPD), formerly known as Melville Hall Airport, is an airport located on the northeast coast of Dominica, 2 mi (3.2 km) northwest of Marigot. It is about one hour away from the second largest city Portsmouth. It is one of only two airports in the island nation of Dominica, the other being Canefield Airport located three miles (5 km) northeast of Roseau.
The Melville Hall area was chosen as the site for Dominica's main airport in 1944, for it was the only place on the island with extensive flat land.[4] It was only after the completion of the Cross-Country Roadway connection from Belles to Marigot, in 1958, that work on the airport began.[4][5] The facility opened on 22 November 1961, and was first served by Douglas DC-3 Dakotas operated by BWIA.[5]
In 2006 an airport expansion and upgrade program began which entailed the expansion of the terminal building to include a new departure lounge, customs and immigration section, and check-in area. The runway and apron were also extended and new night landing and navigational aids were installed. These enhancements had an extended completion date of mid-2010.[9]
The first-ever night landing was conducted on 9 August 2010 by Winair.[10] Regular night landings at the airport began on 20 September 2010; the first flight, from LIAT, flew from V.C. Bird International Airport in Antigua.[11]
Douglas-Charles AirportAvianca Airbus A320 NeoAmerican Eagle at Ground-Level Gate 1.Deplaning AA at Gate 1.MD80 at the Douglas Charles AirportA Conviasa Embraer E190AR at the Douglas Charles Airport.The first Embraer E170LR visit to Dominica.
On 22 July 2021, American Airlines announced a new, twice-weekly nonstop jet service between Miami and Dominica, which began on 8 December 2021.[13] The service is operated by its American Eagle affiliate Embraer 175. This marked the first non-stop commercial service between the mainland United States and Dominica. The initial service operated twice weekly until 10 January 2022, when it increased to thrice weekly. As of 5 April 2022, flights now operate once daily.[14][15]American Eagle is currently the largest airline at the airport. As of 16 August 2022, the government is in reported talks with American Airlines to increase frequencies to the airport with an extra daily service (Weekends, Mondays, and Wednesdays) from Miami.[16]
American Eagle is now the largest air carrier to serve the airport, with a 36% market share.[17]
On 22 May 1989, a BAe 146 flown by Dan Gurney, BAe test pilot, and William Rosquist, BAe 146 Chief Pilot for Aspen Airways, made the first commercial jet landing at Douglas Charles Airport on a sales tour of the Lesser Antilles.
On 4 April 2020, an AviancaAirbus A320neo arrived at the airport with medical supplies and equipment from Paramaribo.
After offloading the cargo, the aircraft left shortly after for Bogota. The aircraft was the largest airliner to ever land at the airport.[22]
The airport has also handled other airliners and cargo aircraft of similar sizes in the past.
Amerijet was once a frequent operator at the airport with its Boeing 727-200F, until the airline retired the type in 2018.[25]
On Monday, 17 April 2023, Conviasa operated chartered flights from Caracas with their Embraer E190 aircraft (YV2911 & YV2912) for the Alba Games in Venezuela. This marked the first time an Embraer E190 aircraft arrived at the airport.[26]
On Saturday, 9 September 2023, one of Aurora Anguilla Resort & Gulf Club's Embraer E170 aircraft arrived at the airport as a Men's Senior Football team charter. The team headed to Turks and Caicos to compete in various sporting events. This was the first time an Embraer 170 aircraft arrived at the airport.[27]
The Passenger Terminal at the airport houses 10 airline check-in counters,[31] the arrivals and departures area, and 2 Gates. Recently, there was an addition made to the terminal, which added an Executive Lounge that all arriving and departing passengers can utilize. The lounge is full of comforts and services at Douglas Charles Airport of Dominica. Lounge Seating, Complimentary Wi-Fi, Newspaper/ Magazine, Tourism Information and Bookings, Flight Monitors, Cultural Exhibits, Complimentary beverages, Complimentary snacks, Private Rest Rooms, Personalized Meet and Greets, Baggage Assistance, Assisted Immigration and Customs, and Taxi Arrangements.[32][33] The lounge has many offerings and 3 categories of arrival and departure services. These include:
An In-Lounge Service:
A La Carte In Lounge services: Reserved Seating/Service area, Conference/Meeting Room, and a Complimentary Local Call.
The airport features one 5,761-foot runway. Runway 09 has a 1,158 foot Displaced Threshold due to the rising terrain to the west of the airport, with an available landing distance of 4,603 feet. It's only authorized for visual approaches, and landings at night are prohibited. Runway 27 departures are prohibited.[35][36]
The Minister of Tourism announced Thursday, 11 May 2023, that the Runway at the Dominica Douglas Charles Airport will be extended. Runway 09 will extend further into the valley to accommodate larger passenger aircraft and a higher Takeoff Weight by the existing Envoy Air service. The extension will be about (180 m) = (+/- 590 ft).[37][38][39] The current runway length will be extended from (1756 m - 5761 ft) to (1936 m - 6351 ft). The project is expected to be completed 3 months (November 2023) from the commencement date (August 2023).[40]
Total Stayover arrivals 2021 - 14,888 - a 31.5% decline over 2020. This performance also reflects an 83% decline over the corresponding pre-COVID period in 2019.
Total visitor arrivals for the 9-month period (April to December) exceeded the corresponding period in 2020 by 288%.
Q4 Arrivals (October, November, December) - 6,257. This number accounted for 42% of 2021 stayover arrivals compared to 2020 when Q4 accounted for only 10% of arrivals.
(December Arrivals) - 3,217 (accounted for the higher number of arrivals per monthly basis.[61]
The total stayover arrivals in the month of May was 8,050. (Reflecting a 300% increase over the corresponding period in 2021, and a 29% increase versus Q4 of 2021).
A Month-on-month improvement was seen in arrivals, with February arrivals increasing 26% over January and March increasing 15% over February. March 2022 visitor arrivals are the second highest since the advent of the pandemic in 2020, falling below December 2021 by 3%. March 2022 exceeded the corresponding period in 2021 by 309%.[62]
The Arrival Performance in Q1 of 2022.
May stayover statistics
In May, stayover visitations totaled 4,181, reflective of a 391% increase over the corresponding period in 2021. Notwithstanding the 30% decline over 2019. The USA dominated May arrivals, accounting for 35%.[63]
May 2022 Stayover Visitor Arrivals.
Y-T-D June 2022 stayover arrivals surpass Full-Year 2021[64]
Dominica's tourism industry is on a path to recovery; evident in the performance of stayover visitor arrivals in the first half of 2022, which has already surpassed total arrivals in 2021. Data depicts a total of 21,162 arrivals for the period. Despite those numbers falling below the corresponding pre-pandemic period (2019), this performance reflects a 348% increase over the same period in 2021 (4,715) and a 42% increase over the full year of 2021 (14,888).
H1 2022 performance exceeded the corresponding period in 2020 by 15% and fell slightly below the full year 2020 (3%).
April registered the highest number of arrivals for H1 2022 and was also the best performing month since the pandemic struck in 2020.
The U.S. market dominated H1 2022 stayover arrivals, accounting for 35% of the total, which can be attributed to the recently debuted direct flights from the US mainland on American Airlines.[65]
The recently introduced daily flights from the US mainland, and the introduction of new flights and routes by existing airlines will positively increase the trend in stayover arrivals in the upcoming months.
Y-T-D June 2022 stayover arrivals surpass Full-Year 2021.
Dominica's Visitor Arrivals from the US Continue to Rise
Since the inauguration of American Airlines, there has been a significant increase in U.S. visitor arrivals to the island. A total of 2,019 visitor arrivals were recorded in July 2022, the highest on record (dating back to February 2017, when Ross University operated in Dominica).[17]
Between January and July 2022, the U.S. market accounted for 33% of total arrivals into Dominica, a 17 percentage point increase over the same period in 2017 when it accounted for 14% of arrivals.
American Airlines has seen month-on-month increases in passenger arrivals and now accounts for 75% of U.S. visitor arrivals into Dominica. The airline is also the largest air carrier, accounting for 36% of total air arrivals; among nine airline operators.
The US had the highest number of arrivals (7,613), accounting for 23% of stayover visitation.
The FWI has shown significant progress by yielding 21% of visitation. After having declined to 1.21% market share in H1 2021, it is now aligned to its pre-pandemic share of arrivals.
The pace is set for a significant increase in visitor arrivals with heightened marketing activity and an increase in air capacity through additional flights by multiple airlines.[66]
Dominica Makes Great Strides in Tourist Arrival Performance
An Air Anguilla Cessna 402 impacted terrain west of the airport, killing all 11 on board, on 23 August 1998.[68]
On Saturday 11 August 2007, a Learjet 35 business jet ran off the runway suffering extensive damage.[69]
On Tuesday 4 December 2012, an AmerijetBoeing 727 cargo jet overran the runway, no reported damage or injuries.[70]
On 8 April 2019, a British Aerospace 4100 Jetstream 41, registration HI1038, crash-landed at Douglas Charles Airport, Commonwealth of Dominica, after a commercial flight from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. There were no fatalities.[71]
^"Airport information for TDPD". World Aero Data. Archived from the original on 5 March 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) Data current as of October 2006. Source: DAFIF.
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