Early years The first recorded flight in to Barbados was in 1929 at today's Rockley Golf Course. As far as air transportation at the site of present-day facility, then known as Seawell Airport, history goes back as far as September 1938 when a mail plane from
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines landed on the site from Trinidad. During the 1960s the eastern flight-range just south-east of the airport became known as Paragon. This area became the initial base of a 'High Altitude Research Project' known as
Project HARP. Project HARP was jointly sponsored by
McGill University in Canada and the
United States military. In mid-October 1983, the civilian international airport became the scene of intense military activity. Then Prime Minister
Tom Adams, the son of the airport's eponym, offered use of the facility to the U.S. military as a forward staging and support area for the diverse American aircraft which were deployed from the mainland in
Operation Urgent Fury. The airport also became a press center for more than 300 international journalist who had been dispatched by their organizations to report on the surprise multi-national intervention into the neighbouring island of Grenada. The younger Adams played a key leadership role in gathering support among English-speaking Caribbean nations for the operation to restore democracy and the rule of law on Grenada after an internal leadership dispute degraded into political assassination and civilian bloodshed. As part of the plan to maintain for lasting stability in Grenada, the United States assisted in the establishment of the
Regional Security System (RSS) at the eastern Grantley Adams flight-range. The RSS was (and still is) a security unit focused on providing security for the
Eastern Caribbean. Grantley Adams International Airport, as it is known today, handles most large aircraft including
Boeing 747s. The airport was one of a handful of destinations where
British Airways'
Concorde aircraft made regularly scheduled flights (and got repairs). The flight time of Concorde from the United Kingdom to Barbados was less than 4 hours. The first Concorde visit to Barbados was in 1977 for the Queen's
Silver Jubilee. During the 1980s, Concorde returned for commercial flights to Barbados and thereafter flew to Barbados during the busy winter season. On 17 October 2011, ZA006, a
Boeing 787 Dreamliner arrived at BGI for testing. This was followed by a 24 October arrival of the
Boeing 747-8 for further high humidity environment testing.
2000–2006 expansion project Since Grantley Adams International Airport had become a relatively busy airport for such a small island and based on an expected increase in future air traffic the
Government of Barbados commenced a US$100 million programme to revamp the airport's infrastructure. Phase I, which is now complete, saw an upgrading of the runways, taxiways, parking aprons, and approach lighting. This phase included the Government of Barbados acquiring private land adjacent to the landing strip to bring the airport into compliance with new international aviation regulations. was opened as an added amenity for business travelers. The centre contains and is on the
mezzanine level. The centre is meant to be used by special customers of several airlines at the terminal. The Phase III expansion had to wait until the completion of the
2007 Cricket World Cup. It envisions the addition of new airport terminal
Jetway (gates), new spacious departure lounges much closer to the aeroplanes and air bridges to make connections much easier. Also nearing completion is the expanded duty-free shopping area and restaurants for travelers. In 2010 airport authorities stated that traffic to the airport was up 58% and that a 20-25-year plan was being formed for the facility including an addition to the taxiway and renovation of the cargo facilities up to international standards. After the expansion project, the airport's arrivals facility was moved to a separate new building adjacent to the previous structure. This allowed the departures area to occupy much of the previous shared structure. The new arrivals terminal was built with five large
baggage carousels, along with customs and immigration windows. ==Facilities==