The Caribbean island with huge pink sand beach has new £10.8million international airport

A NEW planetary airdrome has opened connected a lesser-visited Caribbean land celebrated for its pinkish soil beaches

Barbuda, 1 of the 2 large islands that signifier Antigua and Barbuda, has opened a brand-new $14million (£10.8million) planetary airport.

The new airport opened earlier this period successful a bid to amended the island's "connectivity, tourism and economical growth".

Barbuda International Airport (airport codification BBQ) has a 6,100-foot runway, which tin accommodate larger craft similar private jets.

Its caller runway has an LED lighting system, allowing for regular nighttime landings, arsenic good arsenic ample abstraction for aggregate backstage jets.

The caller airdrome welcomed its archetypal planetary flight, which landed connected the runway yesterday (October 27).

According to WIC news, backstage craft originated from Teterboro Airport successful New Jersey.

For the foreseeable future, Barbuda International Airport volition lone accommodate backstage flights.

While nary commercialized routes are presently successful operation, fixed the island's propulsion for tourism airline routes could go portion of its offering.

Considering the backstage pitchy formation from New Jersey, commercialized flights to and from the US are apt to beryllium first, with UK holidaymakers having to hold longer for a service.

The quality comes aft Antigua and Barbuda reported a 17 per cent uptick successful tourer numbers successful the archetypal 8 months of 2024, welcoming 229,225 visitors.

Antigua and Barbuda’s Minister of Tourism, Civil Aviation and Transportation, The Honourable Charles Fernandez said: "This caller Barbuda International Airport is simply a shining testament to the visionary enactment of our government.

"We person taken bold steps to modernise this island, ensuring that its aerial links are 2nd to nary successful this portion truthful that Barbuda tin besides instrumentality vantage of the singular maturation successful our country’s tourism that we person seen this year."

Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority CEO, Colin C. James, added: "An planetary airdrome is simply a crippled changer for Barbuda, arsenic we look to attracting the luxury traveller and backstage pitchy owners from astir the satellite to Barbuda and showcasing the island’s beauty, pink soil beaches, eco-experiences, wellness attributes and civilization to each our visitors."

When commercialized flights bash commencement operating to the island, determination volition beryllium plentifulness to support holidaymakers entertained.

Barbuda is celebrated for its Pink Sand Beach.

The land was besides 1 of Princess Diana's favourite vacation destinations, with Coco Point Beach among her favourite spots.

Regarded arsenic 1 of the astir beauteous beaches successful the Caribbean, the formation was renamed Princess Diana's Beach connected what would've been her 50th day successful 2011.

Meanwhile, A-lister Robert De Niro owns the Nobu Beach Inn - a edifice connected the island.

Other attractions connected the land see the Indian Cave connected Two Foot Bay, which is said to beryllium the island's astir accessible neolithic cave.

Until commercialized flights commencement operating from the UK to Barbuda, determination are plentifulness of different islands to sojourn successful the Caribbean, including Jamaica, St Lucia, The Bahamas, Barbados and Turks and Caicos.

Barbuda isn't the lone land that's acceptable to payment from a caller airport.

OTHER NEW AIRPORTS

Earlier this month, Greenland revealed plans to unfastened 3 caller airports connected the island.

One of those is Nuuk Airport, which is slated to unfastened connected November 28.

The tiny superior metropolis is location to 18,000 locals.

Despite being small, astir of Greenland is recovered successful Nuuk - this is simply a 4th of the colonisation - and is wherever you volition find the celebrated multicoloured houses arsenic good arsenic whale-watching.

The caller airport's longer runway and caller terminal means airlines successful some the US and Europe volition beryllium capable to run nonstop flights for the archetypal time.

Previously, airlines would person to halt successful Kangerlussuaq and past alteration to a smaller aircraft.

Doncaster Sheffield Airport, which closed successful November 2022, could reopen thanks to a caller multi-million-pound plan.

And Plymouth Airport hopes to reopen aft being closed for much than a decade.