Mustique Airport
![]() | This article needs to be updated.(October 2015) |
Mustique Airport | |||||||||||
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Summary | |||||||||||
Airport type | Public-private | ||||||||||
Owner | Mustique Company | ||||||||||
Operator | Mustique Company | ||||||||||
Location | Mustique, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | ||||||||||
Opened | 1969 | ||||||||||
Hub for | |||||||||||
AMSL | 8 ft / 2 m | ||||||||||
Coordinates | 12°53′17″N 061°10′49″W / 12.88806°N 61.18028°W | ||||||||||
Website | http://mustique.com/ | ||||||||||
Map | |||||||||||
Runways | |||||||||||
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Mustique Airport (IATA: MQS, ICAO: TVSM) is a private airfield owned by the Mustique Company for public use and is located on Mustique island, part of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines in the Caribbean Sea. It is used by civil aviation and national airlines using turboprop planes.
The traffic has a large seasonal variation with many more passengers in the winter.
The airport has a
The runway is
Mustique Airport is the oldest continuously operated airport in St. Vincent and the Grenadines since the closure of
.Overview
The airport is built to support small aircraft. Currently the airport can only accept propeller aircraft (maximum of 18 seats). Jet aircraft are not permitted to land in Mustique. Private jets fly into nearby Canouan, the jetport of the Grenadines, where a private charter to Mustique can be arranged.
For pilots not familiar with STOL, displaced thresholds, steep gradients at each end and a hill at one end of the runway, Mustique Airport can be a difficult airport to operate from.
Pilots unfamiliar with the airport will require a flight check before being allowed to use the aerodrome. Flight checks are provided by an approved training captain from one of the following local companies: Mustique Airways or SVG Air.
Mustique is proclaimed as "the world’s finest private-island retreat." The island is not a traditional Caribbean tourist destination and so it does not have overcrowded beaches.
The Mustique Company owns airline Air Adelphi (Mustique shuttle), whose Twin Otter Aircraft are available for customers to charter for a private and exclusive transfer experience to Mustique, subject to aircraft availability. The company can provide flexible scheduling with scheduled flights from Barbados, St. Lucia and St. Vincent and flights on demand or private charter.
Expansion
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3f/Mustique_Airways_Rockwell_500S_Shrike_Commander_J8-KIM_%28cn_3253%29_%287409983830%29.jpg/260px-Mustique_Airways_Rockwell_500S_Shrike_Commander_J8-KIM_%28cn_3253%29_%287409983830%29.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f2/In_the_sky%2C_Barbados_%286948393179%29.jpg/260px-In_the_sky%2C_Barbados_%286948393179%29.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cf/Twin_Otter_%2829212008171%29.jpg/260px-Twin_Otter_%2829212008171%29.jpg)
It was proposed to realign the existing runway[5] at the northern end of Mustique Island to minimize the effects of elevated terrain features near the flight path. The excavation of soil and rock from high ground in the central quarry area and engineered fill placement at the low lying east and west ends of the runway are required to provide an appropriate runway gradient. The existing topography along the centerline of the proposed runway changes from approximate Elev. 1m ASL adjacent to the sanctuary to Elev. 24m ASL in the quarry area. The topography descends to Elev. 2m ASL adjacent to the Rutland Bay seasonal pond in the northeast.
The geotechnical reporting includes the subsurface investigation findings and recommendations for (a) sub excavation and/or soil improvement of the weak swampy materials comprising wet, soft clayey silt and organics in the west; (b) excavation of overburden soils and soft rock (volcanic tuff) and blasting and excavation of hard rock (grey andesite) in the middle high ground and quarry; and (c) additional subgrade preparation and engineered fill placement in the east section near the seasonal pond at Rutland Bay. Based on the aircraft loading conditions a design for the new asphalt pavement thicknesses, asphalt overlays for the existing apron and runway, and subsurface drainage requirements were provided.
Facilities
The airport resides at an
surface measuring 992 m × 23 m (3,255 ft × 75 ft). A small single-story terminal building on the southeast processes passengers and baggage and also serves as the customs and immigration area with an attached two-story control tower. The terminal has a CIP (Commercially Important People) lounge. A small paved apron allows aircraft passengers to embark and to disembark.Threshold of Runway 09 displaced 940 ft (287 m) and is marked "STOL."
The airport has no radio-navigational aids, therefore landings on Runway 09 are strictly visual. There are no operations during twilight period; Mustique's airport does not have runway lights so it closes before sunset and there are no exceptions.
Fire and rescue
Mustique Airport falls under category three[6] of the Aerodrome Category (ICAO Index).
It has a Rapid Attack Vehicle with 60 gals,
Airlines and destinations
![]() | This section needs to be updated.(January 2022) |
Airlines | Destinations | Refs |
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Air Adelphi | Seasonal charter: Barbados, Saint Vincent-Argyle, Vieux Fort | [7][8] |
Grenadine Airways | Barbados, St. Lucia–Hewanorra, Saint Vincent–Argyle | |
Mustique Airways | Barbados, Bequia, Canouan, Saint Vincent–Argyle, Union Island Charter: Castries, Grenada, Martinique, Vieux Fort | [9] |
SVG Air | Barbados, Bequia, Saint Vincent–Argyle Charter: Antigua, Grenada | [10] |
See also
- Grenadine Islands
- STOLport
- List of airports in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- List of airports in the Caribbean
- Transport in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- List of airlines of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
References
- ^ "Airport information for TVSM". World Aero Data. Archived from the original on 2019-03-05.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) Data current as of October 2006. Source: DAFIF. - ^ Airport information for TVSM at Great Circle Mapper. Source: DAFIF (effective October 2006).
- ^ Grenadine Air Alliance
- ^ Ben Harrison - International Correspondent (17 February 2017). "SVG Air / Grenadine Air Alliance: Bridging the gap". The Vencentian Newspaper.
- ^ Runway 09/27 realignment Mustique Airport Sarafinchin Associates Ltd.
- ^ Mustique Airport Aerodrome Geographical and Administrative Data
- ^ Air Adelphi to resume twin otter operations CH-Aviation News 04 September 2017
- ^ Air Adelphi: Private charter and flights on demand The Mustique Company.
- ^ Mustique Airways – Scheduled flights 2017 - 2018
- ^ SVG Air – Scheduled flights retrieved 11 March 2018
External links
External videos | |
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The dictionary definition of STOL at Wiktionary
- Anatomy of a STOL Aircraft: Designing a Modern Short Take-Off and Landing Aircraft by Chris Heintz
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/dd/Wikivoyage-Logo-v3-icon.svg/40px-Wikivoyage-Logo-v3-icon.svg.png)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- Current weather for TVSM at NOAA/NWS
- Mustique Airport live flight tracker - FlightAware
- OpenStreetMap - Mustique
- SkyVector - Mustique Airport
- Great Circle Mapper
- Official Mustique Company website
- Accident history for MQS at Aviation Safety Network