Photo Credit: Connie Ma

Hewanorra International Airport

The largest airport in St Lucia, which is the country’s main international gateway, is Hewanorra, located in Vieux Fort, which is about 35 miles away from the capital city, Castries. The airport handles about 500,000 passengers per year from international destinations, although an upgrade is underway to increase this to 750,000 annually. There are direct flights to US cities of Atlanta, Miami, and New York-JFK served by American Airlines, Delta, and JetBlue. Air Canada and WestJet fly a direct route to Toronto. British Airways and Virgin Atlantic both fly to London Gatwick. Frankfurt is the only other European city served directly, with a route flown by Condor Flugdienst.

The airport is about an hour’s drive away from the capital city, although it is close to many of the major attractions of St Lucia in the south of the island. You may choose to fly into George F L Charles Airport in Castries, although flying direct to that airport is not possible from the US or farther away places; travelers have to schedule a transfer in a nearby Caribbean airport. Should you fly to Hewanorra, the drive north to Castries is a great way to get a feel for the island and take in some initial sights of the tropics. Taxis are available on arrival.

George F. L. Charles Airport

This airport is much smaller than Hewanorra Airport, although is located in the capital city, Castries. It handles about 395,000 passengers per year and all of these will be regional flights from nearby Caribbean countries since the runway cannot handle larger planes. There are daily flights to Antigua, Barbados, Dominica, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Trinidad, and more regional places. The airport is about two miles from the downtown area, so a very short taxi ride to your hotel.

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