Cyril E. King Airport is a public airport located two miles (3 km) west of the central business district of Charlotte Amalie on the island of St. Thomas in the

United States Virgin Islands The United States Virgin Islands,. Also called the ''American Virgin Islands'' and the ''U.S. Virgin Islands''. officially the Virgin Islands of the United States, are a group of Caribbean islands and an unincorporated and organized territory ...

. It is currently the busiest airport in the United States Virgin Islands, and one of the busiest in the eastern Caribbean, servicing 1,403,000 passengers from July 2015 through June 2016. The airport also serves the island of St. John and is additionally often used by those travelling to the nearby

British Virgin Islands ) , anthem = "God Save the King" , song_type = Territorial song , song = "Oh, Beautiful Virgin Islands" , image_map = File:British Virgin Islands on the globe (Americas centered).svg , map_caption = , mapsize = 290px , image_map2 = Brit ...

. Although

passport A passport is an official travel document issued by a government that contains a person's identity. A person with a passport can travel to and from foreign countries more easily and access consular assistance. A passport certifies the personal ...

s are not required for

U.S. citizens Citizenship of the United States is a legal status that entails Americans with specific rights, duties, protections, and benefits in the United States. It serves as a foundation of fundamental rights derived from and protected by the Constitut ...

who are visiting the U.S. Virgin Islands from other U.S. jurisdictions, all passengers bound for the

continental United States The contiguous United States (officially the conterminous United States) consists of the 48 adjoining U.S. states and the Federal District of the United States of America. The term excludes the only two non-contiguous states, Alaska and Hawaii ...

and

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...

must pass through

U.S. Customs and Border Protection United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is the largest federal law enforcement agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security. It is the country's primary border control organization, charged with regulating and facilit ...

screening before boarding their flight. Private planes can either use CBP Preclearance or arrive in the continental United States or Puerto Rico as an international arrival. The airport operates one main runway, long. The terminal operates 11 gates.

History

Originally known as Mosquito Bay in 1927, the airstrip was the only facility which served the island of St. Thomas. The facility was named after a nearby grassy swamp, which was renamed to Lindbergh Bay after

Charles Lindbergh Charles Augustus Lindbergh (February 4, 1902 – August 26, 1974) was an American aviator, military officer, author, inventor, and activist. On May 20–21, 1927, Lindbergh made the first nonstop flight from New York City to Paris, a distance o ...

used it to land the

Spirit of St. Louis The ''Spirit of St. Louis'' (formally the Ryan NYP, registration: N-X-211) is the custom-built, single-engine, single-seat, high-wing monoplane that was flown by Charles Lindbergh on May 20–21, 1927, on the first solo nonstop transatlant ...

. The first passengers landed in 1928, and the airstrip would remain for civilian use until it was purchased by the US government on 1 September 1935. The airstrip was renamed Bourne Field, after the first person to fly non-stop from the United States to

Nicaragua Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the cou ...

. The field was composed of two 1,600 feet (490 m) long unpaved runways used to train aviators of the

US Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

. In 1940, the

US Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage of ...

ordered a major expansion of the base, which saw the extension and pavement of runways along with construction work to accommodate the VMS-3 observation squadron. Once World War II began, VMS-3 patrolled the surrounding areas for enemy submarines, operating the J2F-A Duck, Vought SU-2 Corsair, OS2N-1 Kingfisher, and

Douglas SBD Dauntless The Douglas SBD Dauntless is a World War II American naval scout plane and dive bomber that was manufactured by Douglas Aircraft from 1940 through 1944. The SBD ("Scout Bomber Douglas") was the United States Navy's main carrier-based scout/div ...

. By 1944, enemy submarine activity decreased. This left the base redundant, and was handed over to civilian authorities to operate in 1946. Following the closure of the Marine base, the airport was leased to the

US Department of the Interior The United States Department of the Interior (DOI) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government headquartered at the Main Interior Building, located at 1849 C Street NW in Washington, D.C. It is responsible for the mana ...

for civilian use. However, the Navy reserved the power to reactivate the airport for military purposes. After the transfer, the former hanger was converted into the civilian terminal and named after President Harry S. Truman. On 25 March 1950 the Department of the Interior

leased A lease is a contractual arrangement calling for the user (referred to as the ''lessee'') to pay the owner (referred to as the ''lessor'') for the use of an asset. Property, buildings and vehicles are common assets that are leased. Industrial ...

the land to the Virgin Islands. However, the department canceled the lease on 1 July 1954 citing violations of the agreement. According to the department, the Virgin Islands failed to register and report financial transactions relating to the land. As a result of the cancelation, the property was given to the US Virgin Islands Corporation. Historically, a number of airlines operated scheduled passenger jet service into St. Thomas in the past. These air carriers included

Air Florida Air Florida was an American low-cost carrier that operated from 1971 to 1984. In 1975 it was headquartered in the Dadeland Towers in what is now Kendall, Florida in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Florida. Air Florida's IATA code is now used by ...

with

Douglas DC-9-10 The McDonnell Douglas DC-9 is an American five-abreast single-aisle aircraft designed by the Douglas Aircraft Company. It was initially produced by the developer company as the Douglas DC-9 until August 1967 and then by McDonnell Douglas. After ...

Caribair Caribair was an airline based in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. It operated scheduled services within the Dominican Republic and to Haiti, as well as charter flights and air taxi services throughout the Caribbean. Its main base was La Isabe ...

with

McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30 The McDonnell Douglas DC-9 is an American five-abreast single-aisle aircraft designed by the Douglas Aircraft Company. It was initially produced by the developer company as the Douglas DC-9 until August 1967 and then by McDonnell Douglas. After ...

Eastern Airlines Eastern Air Lines, also colloquially known as Eastern, was a major United States airline from 1926 to 1991. Before its dissolution, it was headquartered at Miami International Airport in an unincorporated area of Miami-Dade County, Florida. Ea ...

with

Boeing 727-100 The Boeing 727 is an American Narrow-body aircraft, narrow-body airliner that was developed and produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. After the heavy Boeing 707, 707 quad-jet was introduced in 1958, Boeing addressed the demand for shorter f ...

727-200 The Boeing 727 is an American narrow-body airliner that was developed and produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. After the heavy 707 quad-jet was introduced in 1958, Boeing addressed the demand for shorter flight lengths from smaller airpo ...

s and 757-200s, Midway Airlines with

Boeing 737-200 The Boeing 737 is a narrow-body aircraft produced by Boeing at its Boeing Renton Factory, Renton Factory in Washington (state), Washington. Developed to supplement the Boeing 727 on short and thin routes, the twinjet retains the Boeing 707, 7 ...

s and

McDonnell Douglas MD-87 The McDonnell Douglas MD-80 is a series of five-abreast single-aisle airliners developed by McDonnell Douglas. It was produced by the developer company until August 1997 and then by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. The MD-80 was the second gene ...

Pan American World Airways Pan American World Airways, originally founded as Pan American Airways and commonly known as Pan Am, was an American airline that was the principal and largest international air carrier and unofficial overseas flag carrier of the United States ...

(

Pan Am Pan American World Airways, originally founded as Pan American Airways and commonly known as Pan Am, was an American airline that was the principal and largest international air carrier and unofficial overseas flag carrier of the United States ...

) with

s and

s as well as wide body

Airbus A300B4 The Airbus A300 is a wide-body airliner developed and manufactured by Airbus. In September 1967, aircraft manufacturers in the United Kingdom, France, and West Germany signed a memorandum of understanding to develop a large airliner. Wes ...

s and

Airbus A310 The Airbus A310 is a wide-body aircraft, designed and manufactured by Airbus Industrie, then a consortium of European aerospace manufacturers. Airbus had identified a demand for an aircraft smaller than the A300, the first twin-jet wide-bod ...

s, and

Trans Caribbean Airways Trans Caribbean Airways was a United States airline owned by O. Roy Chalk. Its hub was San Juan, Puerto Rico. Founded in 1945, it was acquired by American Airlines in 1971. Its headquarters was located at 714 Fifth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, Ne ...

with Boeing 727-200s. Trans Caribbean, Pan Am and Caribair were all operating jet service into St. Thomas by the late 1960s with the airport runway only being 4,658 feet (1,420 m) in length at the time. One air carrier that has served St. Thomas for many years is

American Airlines American Airlines is a major airlines of the United States, major US-based airline headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, within the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. It is the Largest airlines in the world, largest airline in the world when measured ...

, which began serving St. Thomas in 1970 following its acquisition of and merger with Trans Caribbean Airways. In 1975, American as well as Eastern and Pan Am were serving the airport with Boeing 727-100 jetliners, American and Pan Am with nonstop 727 flights from

New York Kennedy Airport John F. Kennedy International Airport (colloquially referred to as JFK Airport, Kennedy Airport, New York-JFK, or simply JFK) is the main international airport serving New York City. The airport is the busiest of the seven airports in the New ...

with American also operating direct one stop 727 service from Boston and Providence, RI, and Eastern with nonstop 727 flights from Miami and San Juan as well as direct 727 flights from Chicago

O'Hare Airport Chicago O'Hare International Airport , sometimes referred to as, Chicago O'Hare, or simply O'Hare, is the main international airport serving Chicago, Illinois, located on the city's Northwest Side, approximately northwest of the Loop busines ...

, Cleveland and Dallas/Fort Worth. By 1994, American was operating wide body

Airbus A300-600R The Airbus A300 is a Wide-body aircraft, wide-body airliner developed and manufactured by Airbus. In September 1967, aircraft manufacturers in the United Kingdom, France, and West Germany signed a memorandum of understanding to develop a lar ...

jets into St. Thomas with nonstop service from Miami and San Juan with direct one stop A300 flights from Chicago O'Hare Airport, Orlando and Philadelphia and was also flying nonstop

Boeing 757-200 The Boeing 757 is an American Narrow-body aircraft, narrow-body airliner designed and built by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. The then-named 7N7, a twinjet successor for the Boeing 727, 727 (a trijet), received its first orders in August 1978. ...

service from New York Kennedy Airport. Other airlines operating jet service into St. Thomas at this same time in 1994 included

Continental Airlines Continental Airlines, simply known as Continental, was a major United States airline founded in 1934 and eventually headquartered in Houston, Texas. It had ownership interests and brand partnerships with several carriers. Continental started o ...

with nonstop Boeing 727-200 service from New York Newark Airport,

Delta Air Lines Delta Air Lines, Inc., typically referred to as Delta, is one of the major airlines of the United States and a legacy carrier. One of the List of airlines by foundation date, world's oldest airlines in operation, Delta is headquartered in Atla ...

with nonstop Boeing 757-200 service from Atlanta and St. Croix as well as direct one stop 757 service from

Washington Reagan National Airport Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport , sometimes referred to colloquially as National Airport, Washington National, Reagan National Airport, DCA, Reagan, or simply National, is an international airport in Arlington County, Virginia, across ...

Private Jet Expeditions Private Jet Expeditions was a United States charter airline which also operated scheduled passenger service that was part of the OASIS Group from Spain. History Private Jet Expeditions was founded in 1989 by Wichita, Kansas entrepreneur Jack P. ...

(operating as National Airlines at this time) with nonstops from Atlanta and direct one stop service from Chicago

Midway Airport Chicago Midway International Airport , typically referred to as Midway Airport, Chicago Midway, or simply Midway, is a major commercial airport on the Southwest side of Chicago, Illinois, located approximately 12 miles (19 km) from the Lo ...

flown with

McDonnell Douglas MD-80 The McDonnell Douglas MD-80 is a series of five-abreast single-aisle airliners developed by McDonnell Douglas. It was produced by the developer company until August 1997 and then by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. The MD-80 was the second gene ...

s, and

USAir US Airways (formerly USAir) was a major United States airline that operated from 1937 until its merger with American Airlines in 2015. It was originally founded in Pittsburgh as a mail delivery airline called All American Aviation, which soon b ...

with nonstops from Baltimore and direct one stop service from Pittsburgh flown with Boeing 727-200s. Also historically the airport hosted

Air Force One Air Force One is the official air traffic control designated call sign for a United States Air Force aircraft carrying the president of the United States. In common parlance, the term is used to denote U.S. Air Force aircraft modified and used ...

and Two, respectively, carrying Bill Clinton, Al Gore, and Joe Biden using Boeing 707s and later Boeing 757s. Cyril E. King Airport also hosted a number of charter jet airliners including the

Boeing 757 The Boeing 757 is an American narrow-body airliner designed and built by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. The then-named 7N7, a twinjet successor for the 727 (a trijet), received its first orders in August 1978. The prototype completed its mai ...

Boeing 767 The Boeing 767 is an American wide-body aircraft developed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. The aircraft was launched as the 7X7 program on July 14, 1978, the prototype first flew on September 26, 1981, and it was certified on ...

and the

McDonnell Douglas DC-10 The McDonnell Douglas DC-10 is an American trijet wide-body aircraft manufactured by McDonnell Douglas. The DC-10 was intended to succeed the DC-8 for long-range flights. It first flew on August 29, 1970; it was introduced on August 5, 1971, ...

. A new passenger terminal opened in November 1990.

Facilities and aircraft

Cyril E. King Airport covers an area of which contains one

asphalt Asphalt, also known as bitumen (, ), is a sticky, black, highly viscous liquid or semi-solid form of petroleum. It may be found in natural deposits or may be a refined product, and is classed as a pitch. Before the 20th century, the term a ...

paved

runway According to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and takeoff of aircraft". Runways may be a man-made surface (often asphalt concrete, as ...

(10/28) measuring . For the 12-month period ending September 30, 2017, the airport had 61,255 aircraft operations, an average of 167 per day: 58%

air taxi An air taxi is a small commercial aircraft that makes short flights on demand. In 2001 air taxi operations were promoted in the United States by a NASA and aerospace industry study on the potential Small Aircraft Transportation System (SATS) an ...

, 14% scheduled commercial, 27%

general aviation General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations with the exception of commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services ...

and 1% military. During the same period, there were 98 aircraft based at this airport: 59% multi-engine, 35% single engine, 3% helicopters, 2% jet engine and 1% ultralight. There is also one flight school at the airport, Ace Flight Center. The St. Thomas Jet Center, on the north side of the runway, handles private aviation. Due to the field being located next to high terrain, runway 28 has a large displaced threshold, taking up roughly 1/3 of the runway.

Terminal

The two-story terminal has 11 gates in two departure areas. The main section serves flights bound for the United States and Puerto Rico. It contains a restaurant and bar, gift shop, and

duty-free A duty-free shop (or store) is a retail outlet whose goods are exempt from the payment of certain local or national taxes and duties, on the requirement that the goods sold will be sold to travelers who will take them out of the country, w ...

store. Three smaller departure lounges serve international and St. Croix departures. Arriving passengers from the United States and Puerto Rico over the age of 18 are greeted with complimentary samples of

Cruzan Rum Cruzan Rum ( ) is a rum producer in Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands owned by Beam Suntory. Founded in 1760, it claims the distinction of being "the most honored rum distillery in the world." For eight generations, and through various changes in ...

Cyril E. King Airport Terminal Modernization and Expansion Project

There are plans to expand the Cyril E. King Airport terminal to include a second departure lounge on the second floor as well as install

jet bridges A jet bridge (also termed jetway, jetwalk, airgate, gangway, aerobridge/airbridge, skybridge, finger, airtube, expedited suspended passenger entry system (E-SPES), or its official industry name passenger boarding bridge (PBB)) is an enclosed, ...

and move airport offices to the third floor. A $230 million modernization plan for the airport was unveiled by Governor Kenneth E. Mapp in June 2018. The airport upgrades will include a pedestrian bridge as well as a ferry terminal to improve transportation.. On September 3, 2019 the VIPA board approved a $175 million budget for FY 2020. Delegate Plaskett announced three transportation grants for V.I. Airports to redesign the apron and improve lighting on the Cyril E. King airport runway, as well as to improve the runway at Henry E. Rohlsen Airport. On November 22, 2019, the Transportation Department awarded a $2 million grant for the Cyril E. King Airport's modernization. VIPA said that phase one of construction would begin in April. Each of the four phases may take from 18 to 24 months to complete, for a total of 6–8 years and a cost of $250 million.
Starting March, 2021, construction on the Cyril E. King Airport Parking Garage will commence which means parking will be extremely limited. Starting Monday, March 8, 2021, construction on the four level parking garage will start., May 23, 2021 will be the ceremony to kick off phase 1. On Wednesday, May 26, 2021, the Cyril E. King Airport began the groundbreaking for phase 1. On Wednesday, March 24, 2022, the V.I.P.A. Board Moves Forward With Ticketing Counters And Podiums. The Virgin Islands Port Authority(V.I.P.A.) announced $12.2 million for rehabilitating 7,000 .feet of the existing Taxiway A to maintain the structural integrity of the pavement and to minimize foreign object debris at the Cyril E. King Airport (STT, Charlotte Amalie, Virgin Islands) as well as $7 million under the Airport Improvement Program accounts for the Cyril E. King Airport Commuter Wing project. At Cyril E. King Airport in Charlotte Amalie, Virgin Islands, more than $12 million is earmarked for rehabilitation of 7,000 ft. of the existing Taxiway A to maintain the structural integrity of the pavement and to minimize foreign object debris. The project has a total of five phases. Phase 2 funds the west 3,300 ft. of the 7,000-ft. taxiway.  Future phases will fund the design and construction of the remainder of the taxiway. As of July 21, 2022,House Passes Nine of Plaskett’s Requests for Community Project Funding, including modernizing the commuter section of the Cyril E. king International Airport Terminal. On September 21, 2022, the Virgin Islands Port Authority announced plans to investigate ways to create a private-public partnership of qualified investers to get more funds together for the Cyril E. King and Henry E. Rohlsen Airport expansion and modernization project .The V.I. Port Authority Governing Board this week finally authorized a public/private partnership to expand and modernize the Cyril E. King Airport in St. Thomas and the Henry E. Rohlsen Airport on St Croix.

Here is the website page complete with a YouTube video of the modernized and expanded Cyril E. king International Airport terminal.

The STT Airport Parking Limited as Garage Project Enters Final Phase.

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

Cargo

Dolphin Water Taxi

On February 8, 2020, Dolphin Water Taxi opened new facilities at the Cyril E. King Airport baggage claim east of Tropic Tours window as well as Red Hook Urman Victor Fredericks Marine Terminal.

Top destinations

Airline market share

Accidents and incidents

* On December 28, 1970,

Flight 505 operated with a

Boeing 727-200 The Boeing 727 is an American narrow-body airliner that was developed and produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. After the heavy 707 quad-jet was introduced in 1958, Boeing addressed the demand for shorter flight lengths from smaller airpor ...

jetliner made a hard landing and ran off the side of the runway. Two of the 48 passengers died in the subsequent fire, and the aircraft was then destroyed by the ensuing conflagration. * On April 27, 1976,

American Airlines Flight 625 American Airlines Flight 625, a Boeing 727-100, crashed at St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands on April 27, 1976, while on a domestic scheduled passenger flight originating at T. F. Green Airport in Rhode Island and ending at Saint Thomas, United S ...

operated with a

jetliner ran off the end of the runway, killing 37 of the 88 on board. The old St. Thomas runway was 4,658 feet long at the time. Following the crash,

(AA) suspended jet service to the airport and began operating

Convair 440 The Convair CV-240 is an American airliner that Convair manufactured from 1947 to 1954, initially as a possible replacement for the ubiquitous Douglas DC-3. Featuring a more modern design with cabin pressurization, the 240 series made some inroa ...

propliner A propliner is a large, propeller-driven airliner. Typically, the term is used for piston engine airliners that flew before the large scale advent of airliners of the jet age. With the notable exception of the de Havilland Albatross and Fokker F ...

s instead for service to nearby St. Croix (STX) for connections to American mainline jet flights until a new, longer 7,000 foot runway was constructed. These CV-440 flights were operated by a division of AA, American Inter-Island, as an interim service until American elected to resume mainline jet aircraft operations into St. Thomas with the advent of the longer runway. The American Inter-Island Convair 440 aircraft were owned by American Airlines and flown and maintained by Antilles Air Boats, a seaplane operator in the Virgin Islands. * On March 25, 1977,

Douglas C-53 The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota ( RAF, RAAF, RCAF, RNZAF, and SAAF designation) is a military transport aircraft developed from the civilian Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II and remained in ...

N692A of Island Traders was damaged beyond economic repair in a heavy landing. * On September 17, 1989,

Douglas DC-3 The Douglas DC-3 is a propeller-driven airliner manufactured by Douglas Aircraft Company, which had a lasting effect on the airline industry in the 1930s to 1940s and World War II. It was developed as a larger, improved 14-bed sleeper version ...

N4425N,

Douglas C-47 The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota (Royal Air Force, RAF, Royal Australian Air Force, RAAF, Royal Canadian Air Force, RCAF, Royal New Zealand Air Force, RNZAF, and South African Air Force, SAAF designation) is a airlift, military transport ai ...

s N100SD, N4471J and N4577Z; and

Douglas C-49 The Douglas DC-3 is a propeller-driven airliner manufactured by Douglas Aircraft Company, which had a lasting effect on the airline industry in the 1930s to 1940s and World War II. It was developed as a larger, improved 14-bed sleeper vers ...

J N28346 of

Aero Virgin Islands Aero Virgin Islands was an airline based in St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands. History Aero Virgin Islands Corp. began operating in the Caribbean during the late 1970s. Operations specifications issued by the Federal Aviation Administration und ...

; along with Douglas C-47A N101AP of

Four Star Air Cargo Four Star Air Cargo was a cargo airline based in San Juan, Puerto Rico. It operated cargo services within the U.S. and British Virgin Islands and to Puerto Rico. Its main base was Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport. History The airline ...

; were damaged beyond economic repair by

Hurricane Hugo Hurricane Hugo was a powerful Cape Verde tropical cyclone that inflicted widespread damage across the northeastern Caribbean and the Southeastern United States in September 1989. Across its track, Hugo affected approximately 2 million peop ...

. * On December 30, 2003,

C N781T of

Tol-Air Services Tol Air (Tol Air Services Inc.) was a charter and cargo airline based at Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico. It was established in 1981 and started operations on 16 May 1983. It operated daily cargo charter flights ...

was substantially damaged when the starboard undercarriage collapsed on landing after a flight that originated at

San Juan, Puerto Rico San Juan (, , ; Spanish for "Saint John") is the capital city and most populous municipality in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2020 census, it is the 57th-largest city under the jur ...

. * On July 19, 2006,

Douglas DC-3C The Douglas DC-3 is a propeller-driven airliner manufactured by Douglas Aircraft Company, which had a lasting effect on the airline industry in the 1930s to 1940s and World War II. It was developed as a larger, improved 14-bed sleeper version ...

N782T of Tol-Air Services ditched into the sea off Charlotte Amalie after an engine failure shortly after take-off from Cyril E. King Airport. All four people on board escaped as the aircraft floated for about ten minutes before sinking. The aircraft now lies in of water and is a dive site. *A Kestrel Convair C-131F, registration N8277Q performing a freight flight from St. Thomas (US Virgin Islands) to unknown destination with 2 crew, departed St. Thomas' runway 28 and was in the initial climb around 07:47L (11:47Z) when the tower observed smoke from the left-hand engine (P&W R-2800). The crew declared emergency reporting an engine fire and loss of hydraulics and initiated a return to St. Thomas' runway 10, where the aircraft touched down but could not slow. The airplane veered right off the runway, broke through the airport fence and came to a stop on the airport access road. No injuries occurred, the airplane received substantial damage. The airport was closed for several hours. The FAA reported the aircraft went off the runway and received substantial damage. * On October 13, 2012, a

Piper Aztec The Piper PA-23, named Apache and later Aztec, is an American four- to six-seat twin-engined light aircraft aimed at the general-aviation market. The United States Navy and military forces in other countries also used it in small numbers. Origin ...

, N5553Y, departing nearby St. Croix carrying three passengers, crashed approximately eight miles south of Cyril E. King Airport. There was one survivor. After a year-long investigation, it was determined that the pilot suffered

spatial disorientation Spatial disorientation results in a person being unable to determine their position or relative motion, commonly occurring during periods of challenging visibility, since vision is the dominant sense for orientation. The auditory system, vestibular ...

, descended before he needed to and then crashed into the water. * On June 17, 2015, an

preparing to fly to John F. Kennedy International Airport was grounded due to a mechanical failure. After returning to the gate, an airport service vehicle collided with the aircraft, severely damaging one of the aircraft's jet engines. No injuries occurred. * On September 6, 2017,

Hurricane Irma Hurricane Irma was an extremely powerful Cape Verde hurricane that caused widespread destruction across its path in September 2017. Irma was the first Category 5 hurricane to strike the Leeward Islands on record, followed by Maria two ...

caused severe damage to the terminal especially around gate 6. No injuries were reported.

References

External links

*
Virgin Islands Port Authority: Airport Facilities
the official site

Old Saint Thomas Airport Terminal

Virgin Islands: Old airport hangar in St. Thomas, dating from 1939, has since been torn down and replaced with a modern passenger terminal. Photo: Larry Luxner

aerial view of the Harry S Truman Airport
* *
Bureau of Transportation Statictics

St. Thomas Cyril E. King Airport from airlines.net

St. Thomas Cyril E. King Airport from jetphotos.net

St. Thomas Cyril E. King Airport from airlinefan.com

{{Authority control Airports in the United States Virgin Islands Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces Airports with United States border preclearance