Grand Bahama International Airport (GBIA) is an
international airport in
Freeport, Bahamas
Freeport is a city, district and free trade zone on the island of Grand Bahama of the northwest Bahamas. In 1955, Wallace Groves, a Virginian financier with lumber interests in Grand Bahama, was granted of pineyard with substantial areas of sw ...
. It was privately owned until the government of the Bahamas purchased it in April 2021.
The airport was a joint venture between
Hutchison Port Holdings
Hutchison Port Holdings Limited (HPH; ), trading as Hutchison Ports (), is a private holding company incorporated in the British Virgin Islands. The port operator group is a subsidiary of CK Hutchison Holdings (formerly Hutchison Whampoa). Some ...
(HPH) and The Port Group (or the
Grand Bahama Port Authority
The Grand Bahama Port Authority ( GBPA or "Port Authority") is a privately held corporation that also acts as the municipal authority for Freeport, Grand Bahama Island, The Bahamas. The GBPA was created by the Hawksbill Creek Agreement.
The GBP ...
). The facility also includes of land that adjoins it to the Freeport Harbour Company Limited as they operate as one entity, known as the Sea Air Business Centre (SABC).
Facilities
The airport has a runway which is capable of handling the largest aircraft in service and is relatively close to all major cities of the
Eastern Seaboard of the United States.
Some other features that are available at the Grand Bahama International Airport are:
# VOR system
# PAPI (Precision approach path indicator) system
# Distance-remaining markers
# Category seven fire fighting facilities
# General aviation services
# Air conditioned passenger terminal (Set temp: 28 degrees C)
Airlines and destinations
Passenger
Cargo
Accidents and incidents
*On 12 November 1964,
Lockheed Lodestar
The Lockheed Model 18 Lodestar is a passenger transport aircraft of the World War II era.
Design and development
Sales of the 10–14 passenger Lockheed Model 14 Super Electra, which first flew in 1937, had proved disappointing, despite the ai ...
N171Q stalled after take-off and was destroyed by fire in the subsequent crash, killing all four people on board.
*On 22 November 1966,
de Havilland DH.125 N235KC of
Florida Commuter Airlines crashed into the sea off Grand Bahamas during an illegal flight from
Miami, Florida
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...
.
*On 24 November 1979,
Convair 440-86 N444JM of
Mackey International Airlines was on an international non-scheduled passenger flight to
Fort Lauderdale International Airport
A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...
when the starboard engine caught fire just after take-off. On approach to Grand Bahamas International, the engine fell off. On landing, the aircraft departed the runway and ended up in the sea. All 46 people on board escaped from the aircraft.
*On 12 September 1980,
Douglas DC-3A N75KW of Florida Commuter Airlines, operating a scheduled international passenger flight from
West Palm Beach International Airport,
Palm Beach, Florida, United States to Grand Bahama International Airport
crashed into the sea off
West End. All 34 on board were killed.
*On 20 July 2000, Douglas C-47A N54AA of Allied Air Freight suffered an engine failure on take-off from Grand Bahama International Airport on a cargo flight to
Nassau International Airport, Bahamas. The aircraft crashed while attempting to return to Grand Bahama International and was destroyed. Both crew were killed.
*On 9 November 2014, a Lear 36 Executive Jet crashed on approach to the airport. All nine people on board perished, including evangelist
Myles Munroe and his wife.
*On 7 February 2017, a Western Air Saab 340 passenger aircraft landing gear failed shortly after takeoff. The aircraft turned around and crashed landed at the airport. All 30 passengers survived and 2 sustained minor injuries.
*From September 1–3, 2019, the airport was pelted by
Hurricane Dorian
Hurricane Dorian was an extremely powerful and catastrophic Category 5 Atlantic hurricane, which became the most intense tropical cyclone on record to strike the Bahamas, and tied for strongest landfall in the Atlantic basin. It is also rega ...
, leaving the airport under six feet of water and heavily damaged.
*On 24 October 2020, An American Eagle ERJ-145LR (N674RJ) operating as Envoy Air Flight 4194 from Miami to Freeport had a runway excursion upon landing. Nobody was injured in the crash. The aircraft had suffered main gear damage, and the left main broke off.
References
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Airports in the Bahamas
Airports with United States border preclearance
Buildings and structures in Freeport, Bahamas