George F. L. Charles Airport

George F. L. Charles Airport (formerly Vigie Airport) is the smaller of the two airports in Saint Lucia, the other being Hewanorra International Airport. It is located 2km north of Castries, the capital city. George F. L. Charles Airport is managed by the Saint Lucia Air and Seaports Authority (SLASPA). Its runway runs parallel to a pristine beach, Vigie Beach, which is a popular tourist attraction.HistoryThe airport was renamed on 4 August 1997 in honor of Saint Lucia politician Sir George Frederick Lawrence Charles (1916–2004).TrafficOn average, George F. L. Charles Airport handles 32,000 flights per year carrying 394,000 passengers. Most of these flights operate with turboprop aircraft such as the ATR 72-500 or the Bombardier Dash 8.The airport currently has no scheduled jet service. All jet service into St. Lucia, including transatlantic flights, operates via Hewanorra International Airport, on the southeast portion of the island. The airport previously had jet service flown by Caribair (Puerto Rico) which in 1970 was operating McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30 jetliners with nonstop flights to Barbados and Pointe-a-Pitre, Guadeloupe with direct service to Antigua, Port of Spain, Trinidad, San Juan, Puerto Rico, St. Croix and St. Thomas.