page_title: J. F. Mitchell Airport
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: J. F. Mitchell Airport / History
caption_attribution_description: English: Twin Otter at Bequia
context_page_description: J. F. Mitchell Airport, also known as Bequia Airport, is the airport serving Bequia island, Grenadines Parish, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, including Grenadines Parish' capital Port Elizabeth. It is named after Sir James Fitz-Allen Mitchell, KCMG, PC, MP, former Premier and former Prime Minister of St.Vincent and the Grenadines for 18 years. Nevertheless, the airport continued to be referred to as “Bequia Airport.” In 1990, a land reclamation project was undertaken in Paget Farm for the construction of the island's J.F. Mitchell Airport.
  Moonhole, a private nature preserve of 19 homes built into a volcanic rock face, are located near the airport. Americans Tom and "Gladdie" Johnston designed the dwellings from whalebone, driftwood, stone and seashells, back in the 1960s.
  The airport is basically a turbo-prop center for chartered flights. Nevertheless, small private jet aircraft also fly to this airport. Most commercial flights into J. F.
context_section_description: As early as 1974, Sir William Halcrow and Partners in association with the UK Transport Development Unit produced a design for a 4,000-foot runway at Paget Farm. Studies were undertaken for this report by, among others, the Caribbean Meteorological Institute and Airline Pilots, with British technical assistance.
  The World Bank Report on Tourism, dated April 20, 1982, stated that “The Grenadines are the area of most tourism potential”, stressing that priority be given to the development of “certain basic facilities, notably jetties and airstrips”. In October 1985, the European Investment Bank approved financing for the Bequia Airport Feasibility Study.
  In May 1987 the final Feasibility Study by Wallace Evans and Partners was presented to the European Commission. This regional project was approved by 14 Caribbean and 12 European governments to be grant-funded under the Third LOME Convention.
  The German firm of Kocks Consult GmbH was selected in June 1988 as Design and Supervision Consultants, with Interbeton/Ham of The Netherlands selected as Contractors in December 1989.
  The Bequia airport went through over 41 stages of analysis, performance and certification procedures. These included the historic wave studies to determine the height of construction needed above sea level, and the critical Environmental Impact Assessment Study, which was submitted on Aug. 16, 1989.
  The deep vibro compaction of the dredged sand was completed in November 1991, less than two years after the contract was awarded to Interbeton.  Six months later, on May 15, 1992, The Bequia Airport was officially opened.
caption: Mustique Airways Twin Otter at Bequia
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