Lynden Pindling International Airport

Lynden Pindling International Airport (IATA: NAS, ICAO: MYNN), formerly known as Nassau International Airport, is the largest airport in the Bahamas and the largest international gateway into the country. It is a hub for Bahamasair, Western Air, and Pineapple Air. The airport is located in western New Providence island near the capital city of Nassau. The airport is named after Lynden Pindling, the first prime minister of the Bahamas.

Lynden Pindling International Airport
IATA: NAS ICAO: MYNN
Summary
Airport type	Public
Owner	Nassau Airport Development Company (Government of The Bahamas)
Operator	Vantage Airport Group
Serves	Nassau, Bahamas
Hub for	Bahamasair Pineapple Air Western Air
Elevation AMSL	16 ft / 5 m
Coordinates	25°02′20″N 077°27′58″W
Website	nassaulpia.com
Map
NAS/MYNN Location in The Bahamas
Runways
Direction Length Surface m ft 14/32 3,358 11,017 Asphalt 10/28 2,537 8,323 Asphalt
Statistics (2019)
Passengers 4,100,000 Passenger change 13–14 11% Aircraft movements 90,182 Movements change 13–14 N.D.
Source: DAFIF,[1][2] ACI's 2019 World Airport Traffic Report

History

Early years

The airport in 1976.

In August 1942, No. 111 (Coastal) Operational Training Unit RAF was established at Nassau Airport to train general reconnaissance crews using the North American Mitchell and Consolidated Liberators.^[3]

During the Second World War, on 30 December 1942, the airport was named Windsor Field (after the Duke of Windsor) and became a Royal Air Force (RAF) station.^[4] Windsor Field was the second airport in The Bahamas and was used for delivery flights of US-built fighter and bomber aircraft such as the Boeing B-17 and Consolidated B-24 bombers, and the Curtiss P-40 fighter from the aircraft manufacturers to the North African and European theaters. It was also a base station for Consolidated Liberator I and Mitchell patrol bombers combating the German Navy's U-boat threat.

111 OTU returned to the UK in August^[5] or September 1945. (National Archives) and was disbanded.

After the Second World War, on 1 June 1946, the RAF withdrew from Windsor Field and it reverted to civilian use. Oakes Field (now Thomas Robinson Stadium) remained as the main airport in the Bahamas due to its close proximity to downtown Nassau.^[6] At the Regional Caribbean Conference of the International Civil Aviation Organization held in Washington in September, 1946, Oakes Field was recommended for designation as a long range regular airport. Oakes International Airport was kept in operation until midnight, 1 November 1957, when Nassau International Airport at Windsor Field was brought into full operation.^[6][7]

The name of the airport was officially changed on 6 July 2006 in honour of The Rt Hon. Sir Lynden Pindling (22 March 1929 – 25 August 2000), first Prime Minister of Bahamas (1967 – 1992). Sir Lynden is recognized as the Father of the Nation, having led the Bahamas to majority rule in 1967 as well as full Independence from the United Kingdom within the British Commonwealth six years later.

Expansion and renovations

Terminal interior

With more than 3 million passengers and over 80,000 takeoffs and landings, the airport had reached its capacity by 2011 and its facilities were outdated and insufficient. In 2006, Nassau Airport Development Company (NAD) entered a 10-year management agreement with YVR Airport Services Ltd. (YVRAS), the commercial arm of Vancouver Airport Authority,^[8] to manage, operate and redevelop the airport.^[9]

The airport had the highest Turnaround Costs (landing, boarding bridge, passenger facility charge, security, measured on an Airbus A320) of Latin American airports in 2009.^[10]

The redevelopment upgraded the airport facilities to international standards and expanded terminal capacity. The work was carried out in three stages. The first stage included the design and construction of a new 247,000 sq ft (22,900 m²) U.S. Departures Terminal, at a cost of $198.1 million. Stage 2 consisted of the complete renovation of the current U.S. terminal, to serve as the new U.S/International Arrivals Terminal, with a budget of $127.9 million. Stage 3 involved the design and construction of a new 112,000 sq ft (10,400 m²) domestic arrivals and departures terminal, as well as an International Departures Terminal at the location of the existing International Arrivals Hall. This last stage cost $83.5 million.^[9]

The financing had to be restructured and therefore the redevelopment was slightly delayed because of the turmoil on financial markets in the wake of the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers. Nevertheless, the first stage of the project was completed in March 2011.^[8] The $409.5 million invested resulted in 585,000 sq ft (54,300 m²) of terminal space, a 21% increase, as well as the ability to accommodate 50% more passengers.^[11] The third and final phase of the project was completed in October 2013. The airport now features 10 jet bridge-capable gates. Other features include four gates capable of taking Boeing 747-sized aircraft and one capable of handling the Airbus A380, the world's largest airliner. An additional 1 million square feet of airport operating surface has been added. There are also 24 new retail outlets and 16 bars and lounges located across the sprawling terminal complex.^{[citation needed]}

The airport handled 3.2 million passengers in 2008; and it is expected that the expansion will allow for roughly 5.2 million passengers to be processed by 2020, according to NAD.^[9] The airport contains US Border preclearance facilities allowing all US flights to operate as domestic flights upon arrival at their destination. In February 2015, the US Border Preclearance Facility installed 20 Automated Passenger Control (APC) self serve kiosks to improve the efficiency of passenger processing for US bound travelers.^{[citation needed]}

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

Airlines	Destinations
Air Canada	Toronto–Pearson Seasonal: Montréal–Trudeau[citation needed]
Alaska Airlines	Los Angeles[12] Seasonal: Seattle/Tacoma[13]
American Airlines	Charlotte, Miami, Philadelphia, Washington–National Seasonal: Chicago–O'Hare,[citation needed] Dallas/Fort Worth[citation needed]
American Eagle	Miami
Bahamasair	Cap-Haitien, Colonel Hill, Deadman's Cay, Fort Lauderdale, Freeport, George Town, Governor's Harbour, Havana, Marsh Harbour, Matthew Town, Mayaguana, Miami, North Eleuthera, Orlando, Providenciales, Rock Sound, San Salvador (Bahamas), Spring Point Seasonal: Montego Bay[14]
British Airways	Grand Cayman, London–Heathrow, Providenciales
Caribbean Airlines	Kingston–Norman Manley
Copa Airlines	Panama City–Tocumen
Delta Air Lines	Atlanta, New York–JFK, New York–LaGuardia[15] Seasonal: Boston,[citation needed] Detroit[16]
Flamingo Air	Black Point, Great Harbour Cay, Mangrove Cay, Staniel Cay
InterCaribbean Airways	Providenciales
JetBlue	Boston, Fort Lauderdale, New York–JFK, Orlando, Washington–National
LeAir	Andros Town, Great Harbour Cay, Mangrove Cay[17]
Pineapple Air	Governors Harbour, North Eleuthera
Silver Airways	Tampa
Southern Air Charter	Deadman's Cay, Governor's Harbour, North Eleuthera, Stella Maris
Southwest Airlines	Orlando[18] Seasonal: Baltimore[citation needed]
United Airlines	Houston–Intercontinental, Newark Seasonal: Chicago–O'Hare,[citation needed] Denver,[citation needed] Washington–Dulles[citation needed]
United Express	Seasonal: Houston–Intercontinental[citation needed]
Virgin Atlantic	London–Heathrow (ends 20 February 2025)[19]
Western Air	Congo Town, Fort Lauderdale,[20] Freeport, George Town, Marsh Harbour, New Bight, San Andros, South Bimini
WestJet	Toronto–Pearson Seasonal: Calgary[citation needed]

Cargo

Airlines	Destinations
Conquest Air Cargo[21]	Miami–Opa Locka
FedEx Feeder[citation needed]	Miami
IBC Airways[citation needed]	Miami
Skyway Enterprises[citation needed]	Miami Seasonal: Santiago de los Caballeros

Statistics

Annual passenger traffic at NAS airport. See Wikidata query.

See also

• List of the busiest airports in the Caribbean

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency

1. "Airport information for MYNN". World Aero Data. Archived from the original on 5 March 2019. Data current as of October 2006. Source: DAFIF.
2. Airport information for NAS at Great Circle Mapper. Source: DAFIF (effective October 2006).
3. National Archives, 111 Operational Training Unit; Sturtivant, Ray (2007). RAF Flying Training and Support Units since 1912. Air-Britain. pp. 198–206. ISBN 0-85130 365 X.
4. Bloch, Michael (28 May 2012). The Duke of Windsor's War. Little, Brown Book. ISBN 9781405517089.
5. "Mitchells: The North American Mitchell in Royal Air Force service." Aeromilitaria (Air-Britain Historians), Issue 2, 1978, pp. 41–48.
6. "Bahamas Civil Aviation". www.bcaa.gov.bs. Retrieved 7 July 2017.
7. Colonial Office (1961). "Report on the Bahamas for the Years 1958 and 1959". HathiTrust. London, England: H M Stationery Office. p. 53. Retrieved 11 January 2025. Nassau International Airport, which is the main airport in the Colony, carries all facilities and is in operation 24 hours daily. The airport was opened on 2nd November 1957.
8. "Nassau Airport: Diving deep". IJ Global. 19 May 2009. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
9. "Nassau Airport Development Company – 2009 Annual Report" (PDF). Retrieved 7 July 2017.^{[permanent dead link‍]}
10. Tomás Serebrisky. "Airport Economics in Latin America and the Caribbean". The World Bank. Archived from the original on 30 January 2022. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
11. "Vantage Airport Group". Retrieved 30 January 2022.
12. "Alaska Airlines extends Los Angeles-Nassau service to year round". CAPA. 4 December 2023.(subscription required)
13. "Alaska Airlines Just Added These New International Routes". AFAR. 21 July 2023.
14. "Bahamasair Adds Seasonal Jamaica Service in 3Q24". Aeroroutes. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
15. "Delta Resumes New York LaGuardia – Nassau From Dec 2023". Aeroroutes. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
16. https://www.travelandleisure.com/delta-adding-new-flight-from-detroit-to-nassau-bahamas-8678132
17. "Flight Schedule". www.flyleair.com. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
18. "Southwest Airlines Extends Flight Schedule with New International Options and Most-Ever Departures". 26 October 2023.
19. "Virgin Atlantic closing two more routes". headforpoints.com. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
20. "Western Air Limited | Bahamas | Caribbean | Latin America".
21. "Daily Flight Schedule". Conquest Air Cargo. Retrieved 12 August 2021.

External links

Media related to Lynden Pindling International Airport at Wikimedia Commons

• Official website
• Current weather for MYNN at NOAA/NWS
• Accident history for NAS at Aviation Safety Network
• LPIA Ends 2019 With A Record 4.1 Million Passengers And Revenue Growth  – Lynden Pindling International Airport
• nassaulpia.com - Annual Report 2019