Douglas–Charles Airport , formerly known as Melville Hall Airport, is an airport located on the northeast coast of

Dominica Dominica, officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island country in the Caribbean. It is part of the Windward Islands chain in the Lesser Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean Sea. The capital, Roseau, is located on the western side of t ...

, northwest of Marigot. It is about one hour away from the second largest city

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...

. It is one of only two airports in the island nation of Dominica, the other being

Canefield Airport Canefield Airport is an airport on the west coast of the Caribbean Island country, island nation of Dominica. It is north of Roseau, the capital. It is one of only two airports in the island nation of Dominica, the other being Douglas–Charles ...

located three miles (5 km) northeast of

Roseau Roseau (Dominican Creole French, Dominican Creole: ''Wozo'') is the capital and largest city of Dominica, with a population of 14,725 as of 2011. It is a small and compact urban settlement, in the Saint George Parish, Dominica, Saint George Pa ...

History

The Melville Hall area was chosen as the site for Dominica's main airport in 1944, for it was the only place on the island with extensive flat land. It was only after the completion of the Cross-Country Roadway connection from Belles to Marigot, in 1958, that work on the airport began. The facility opened on 22 November 1961, and was first served by

Douglas DC-3 The Douglas DC-3 is a propeller-driven airliner manufactured by the 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 ...

Dakotas operated by

BWIA BWIA West Indies Airways Limited, known locally as "Bee-Wee" and previously as British West Indian Airways and BWIA International Airways, was the flag carrier of Trinidad and Tobago. At the end of operations, BWIA was the largest airline operat ...

. Three airlines were operating scheduled passenger service with turboprop aircraft into the airport in late 1979 including

Leeward Islands Air Transport LIAT 2020 Limited, operating as LIAT20, or simply LIAT, is an airline of Antigua and Barbuda. The company was preceded by LIAT (1974), and commenced operations on 6 August 2024. LIAT20 is a 30/70 venture between the Government of Antigua and B ...

(

LIAT LIAT 2020 Limited, operating as LIAT20, or simply LIAT, is an airline of Antigua and Barbuda Antigua and Barbuda is a Sovereign state, sovereign archipelagic country composed of Antigua, Barbuda, and List of islands of Antigua and Barbuda ...

) with

Hawker Siddeley HS 748 The Hawker Siddeley HS 748 (formerly Avro HS 748) is a medium-sized turboprop airliner originally designed and initially produced by the British aircraft manufacturer Avro. It was the last aircraft to be developed by Avro prior to its absorptio ...

flights nonstop from

Antigua Antigua ( ; ), also known as Waladli or Wadadli by the local population, is an island in the Lesser Antilles. It is one of the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean region and the most populous island of the country of Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua ...

Fort de France Fort-de-France (, , ; ) is a commune and the capital city of Martinique, an overseas department and region of France located in the Caribbean. History Before it was ceded to France by Spain in 1635, the area of Fort-de-France was known as Ig ...

, Pointe a Pitre and

St. Lucia Saint Lucia is an island country of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean. Part of the Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, it is located north/northeast of the island of Saint Vincent (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines), Saint Vincent ...

as well as direct, no change of plane HS 748 flights from

Barbados Barbados, officially the Republic of Barbados, is an island country in the Atlantic Ocean. It is part of the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies and the easternmost island of the Caribbean region. It lies on the boundary of the South American ...

Grenada Grenada is an island country of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean Sea. The southernmost of the Windward Islands, Grenada is directly south of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and about north of Trinidad and Tobago, Trinidad and the So ...

Port of Spain Port of Spain ( ; Trinidadian and Tobagonian English, Trinidadian English: ''Port ah Spain'' ) is the capital and chief port of Trinidad and Tobago. With a municipal population of 49,867 (2017), an urban population of 81,142 and a transient dail ...

and

St. Vincent Saint Vincent may refer to: People Saints * Vincent of Saragossa (died 304), a.k.a. Vincent the Deacon, deacon and martyr * Saint Vincenca, 3rd century Roman martyress, whose relics are in Blato, Croatia * Vincent, Orontius, and Victor (died 305 ...

; Air Martinique with nonstop

Fokker F27 The Fokker F27 Friendship is a turboprop airliner developed and manufactured by the Dutch aircraft manufacturer Fokker. It is the most numerous post-war aircraft manufactured in the Netherlands; the F27 was also one of the most successful Europe ...

service from Fort de France; and Air Guadeloupe with nonstop

de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter The de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter is a Canadian STOL (Short Takeoff and Landing) utility aircraft developed by de Havilland Canada in the mid-1960s and still in production today. Built by De Havilland Canada from 1965 to 1988, Viking ...

service from Pointe a Pitre.

Historical jetliner service

According to the

Official Airline Guide OAG is a global travel data provider with headquarters in the UK. The company was founded in 1929 and operates in the United States, Singapore, Japan, Lithuania and China. It has a large network of flight information data including schedules, ...

( OAG), two airlines were operating scheduled passenger jet service into the Melville Hall Airport in the spring of 1995: Carib Express with nonstop

British Aerospace British Aerospace plc (BAe) was a British aircraft manufacturer, aircraft, munitions and defence-systems manufacturer that was formed in 1977. Its head office was at Warwick House in the Farnborough Aerospace Centre in Farnborough, Hampshire. ...

BAe 146-100 jet flights from

St. Kitts Saint Kitts, officially Saint Christopher, is an island in the West Indies. The west side of the island borders the Caribbean Sea, and the eastern coast faces the Atlantic Ocean. Saint Kitts and the neighbouring island of Nevis constitute one ...

and

; and Liberty Airlines with nonstop

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

jet service to St. Kitts and St. Lucia as well as direct, one stop 727 service to

Fort Lauderdale Fort Lauderdale ( ) is a coastal city located in the U.S. state of Florida, north of Miami along the Atlantic Ocean. It is the county seat of and most populous city in Broward County with a population of 182,760 at the 2020 census, making it ...

. The OAG also lists scheduled passenger service at this same time flown by

into the airport with de Havilland Canada DHC-8 Dash 8 turboprops nonstop from

, Pointe a Pitre, and

St. Maarten Sint Maarten () is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands located in the Caribbean region of North America. With a population of 58,477 as of June 2023 on an area of , it encompasses the southern 44% of the divided island of ...

as well as direct, no change of plane Dash 8 flights from

Anguilla Anguilla is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean. It is one of the most northerly of the Leeward Islands in the Lesser Antilles, lying east of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands and directly north of Sa ...

, San Juan, PR and

Tortola Tortola () is the largest and most populated island of the British Virgin Islands, a group of islands that form part of the archipelago of the Virgin Islands. It has a surface area of with a total population of 23,908, with 9,400 residents in ...

Airport expansion

In 2006 an airport expansion and upgrade program began which entailed the expansion of the terminal building to include a new departure lounge, customs and immigration section, and check-in area. The runway and apron were also extended and new night landing and navigational aids were installed. These enhancements had an extended completion date of mid-2010. The first-ever night landing was conducted on 9 August 2010 by

Winair Winair (short for Windward Islands Airways International NV) is a government-owned Dutch regional airline based in Sint Maarten. Founded in 1961 by Georges Greaux and Hippolyte Ledee, It has a fleet of eight aircraft serving destinations mostl ...

. Regular night landings at the airport began on 20 September 2010; the first flight, from

, flew from V.C. Bird International Airport in Antigua.

Renaming of airport

The airport was renamed from Melville Hall Airport to Douglas–Charles Airport on 27 October 2014 in honour of

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

Rosie Douglas Roosevelt Bernard "Rosie" Douglas (15 October 1941 – 1 October 2000) was a politician and human rights activist from Dominica. He served as Prime Minister of Dominica from February 2000 until his death in office eight months later. Early life ...

and Pierre Charles. Melville Hall Airport

View Deplaning an American Eagle E175LR - Gate 1

Danish Air Transport - MD80 - FIFA World Cup Tour

Commercial jetliner service

On 22 July 2021,

American Airlines American Airlines, Inc. is a major airlines of the United States, major airline in the United States headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, within the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, and is the Largest airlines in the world, largest airline in the ...

announced a new, twice-weekly nonstop jet service between

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

and Dominica, which began on 8 December 2021. The service is operated by its American Eagle affiliate with an

Embraer 175 The Embraer E-Jet family is a series of four-abreast, narrow-body, short- to medium-range, twin-engined jet airliners designed and produced by Brazilian aerospace manufacturer Embraer. The E-Jet was designed to complement Embraer’s earlier ...

. This marked the first non-stop commercial service between the mainland United States and Dominica. The initial service operated twice weekly until 10 January 2022, when it increased to thrice weekly. As of 5 April 2022, flights now operate once daily. American Eagle is currently the largest airline at the airport. As of 16 August 2022, the government is in reported talks with

to increase frequencies to the airport with an extra daily service (Weekends, Mondays, and Wednesdays) from

. On September 27, 2024,

United Airlines United Airlines, Inc. is a Major airlines of the United States, major airline in the United States headquartered in Chicago, Chicago, Illinois that operates an extensive domestic and international route network across the United States and six ...

announced a new once-weekly nonstop service between Newark,

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

and

. The flight is set to begin February 15, 2025, with

Boeing 737-700 The Boeing 737 Next Generation, commonly abbreviated as 737NG, or 737 Next Gen, is a twin-engine narrow-body aircraft produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Launched in 1993 as the third-generation derivative of the Boeing 737, it has been pr ...

aircraft. The airline is the first ever in the airport's history to operate this Boeing jet type commercially into the airfield. American Eagle is now the largest air carrier to serve the airport, with a 36% market share. * Air Century operates chartered services with the CRJ 200 from

San Juan San Juan, Spanish for Saint John (disambiguation), Saint John, most commonly refers to: * San Juan, Puerto Rico * San Juan, Argentina * San Juan, Metro Manila, a highly urbanized city in the Philippines San Juan may also refer to: Places Arge ...

and Santo Domingo–La Isabela. *

Conviasa Línea Aérea Conviasa (legally ''Consorcio Venezolano de Industrias Aeronáuticas y Servicios Aéreos'') is the flag carrier of Venezuela, with its headquarters on the grounds of Simón Bolívar International Airport in Maiquetía, near Cara ...

operates chartered flights from

Caracas Caracas ( , ), officially Santiago de León de Caracas (CCS), is the capital and largest city of Venezuela, and the center of the Metropolitan Region of Caracas (or Greater Caracas). Caracas is located along the Guaire River in the northern p ...

with their

Embraer E190 The Embraer E-Jet family is a series of four-abreast, narrow-body, short- to medium-range, twin-engined jet airliners designed and produced by Brazilian aerospace manufacturer Embraer. The E-Jet was designed to complement Embraer’s earlier ...

aircraft. *

Fly All Ways Fly All Ways (legally ''Fly Always N.V.'') is a regional airline of Suriname, based in Paramaribo and started operations on January 10, 2016, with the launch of its inaugural flight above Suriname. Its first commercial flight took place on Janua ...

operates chartered services with the

Fokker 70 The Fokker 70 is a narrow-body, twin-engined, medium-range, turbofan regional airliner designed and produced by the now defunct Dutch aircraft manufacturer Fokker. It was developed during the early 1990s as a smaller version of the newly-dev ...

Curaçao Curaçao, officially the Country of Curaçao, is a constituent island country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located in the southern Caribbean Sea (specifically the Dutch Caribbean region), about north of Venezuela. Curaçao includ ...

and

Paramaribo Paramaribo ( , , ) is the capital city, capital and largest city of Suriname, located on the banks of the Suriname River in the Paramaribo District. Paramaribo has a population of roughly 241,000 people (2012 census), almost half of Suriname's p ...

. *

InterCaribbean Airways InterCaribbean Airways, Ltd. (formerly known as Air Turks & Caicos) is a regional airline based in the Turks and Caicos Islands, a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory. The airline offers scheduled passenger flights and cha ...

operates chartered services with the

Embraer 145 The Embraer ERJ family (for Embraer Regional Jet) are regional jets designed and produced by the Brazilian aerospace company Embraer. The family includes the ERJ 135 (37 passengers), ERJ 140 (44 passengers), and ERJ 145 (50 passen ...

to various destinations in the Caribbean region. *

Sunrise Airways Sunrise Airways S.A. is a Haitian regional airline founded in 2010 that provides scheduled passenger and charter flights. , the airline flies to nine domestic and international destinations and has a fleet size of ten. Sunrise Airways expanded i ...

operates chartered services with the

Port-au-Prince Port-au-Prince ( ; ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Haiti, most populous city of Haiti. The city's population was estimated at 1,200,000 in 2022 with the metropolitan area estimated at a population of 2,618,894. The me ...

, and Santo Domingo–La Isabela. Government discussions with other airlines As of 2021, the government of Dominica was (reportedly) in talks with various airlines—including

Air Canada Air Canada is the flag carrier and the largest airline of Canada, by size and passengers carried. Air Canada is headquartered in the borough of Saint-Laurent in the city of Montreal. The airline, founded in 1937, provides scheduled and cha ...

Delta Air Lines Delta Air Lines, Inc. is a Major airlines of the United States, major airline in the United States headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, operating nine hubs, with Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport being its ...

JetBlue JetBlue Airways Corporation, stylized as jetBlue, is an American major airline headquartered in Long Island City, in Queens, New York City. Primarily a point-to-point carrier, JetBlue's network features six focus cities including its main hub ...

, and

—for new service options to

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

and the northeastern United States. As of 2024,

has announced plans to fly to

in February 2025 following these discussions.

Airliner visits

On 22 May 1989, a

BAe 146 The British Aerospace 146 (also BAe 146) is a short-haul and regional airliner that was manufactured in the United Kingdom by British Aerospace, later part of BAE Systems. Production ran from 1983 until 2001. Avro International Aerospace manu ...

jet flown by Dan Gurney,

BAe BAE Systems plc is a British multinational aerospace, military and information security company, based in London. It is the largest manufacturer in Britain as of 2017. It is the largest defence contractor in Europe and the seventh largest i ...

test pilot, and William Rosquist, BAe 146 Chief Pilot for

Aspen Airways Aspen Airways was an airline carrier and regional affiliate of United Express and based in Hangar 5 in Stapleton International Airport in Denver, Colorado. Aspen ceased operations on April 1, 1990, when separate portions of the airline were acq ...

, made the first commercial jet landing at Douglas Charles Airport during a BAe 146 sales tour of the Lesser Antilles. On 4 April 2020, an

Avianca Avianca S.A. (acronym in Spanish for ''Aerovias de Colombia S.A.'', "Airways of Colombia", and stylized as avianca since October 2023) is the largest airline in Colombia. It has been the flag carrier of Colombia since December 5, 1919, when it ...

Airbus A320neo The Airbus A320neo family is an incremental development of the A320 family of narrow-body airliners produced by Airbus. The A320neo family (''neo'' being Greek for "new", as well as an acronym for "new engine option") is based on the Airbus A3 ...

arrived at the airport with medical supplies and equipment from

. After offloading the cargo, the aircraft left shortly after for Bogota. The aircraft was the largest civil passenger

airliner An airliner is a type of airplane for transporting passengers and air cargo. Such aircraft are most often operated by airlines. The modern and most common variant of the airliner is a long, tube shaped, and jet powered aircraft. The largest ...

to ever land at the airport at the time. The airport has also handled other

airliners An airliner is a type of airplane for transporting passengers and air cargo. Such aircraft are most often operated by airlines. The modern and most common variant of the airliner is a long, tube shaped, and jet powered aircraft. The largest o ...

and

cargo aircraft A cargo aircraft (also known as freight aircraft, freighter, airlifter or cargo jet) is a fixed-wing aircraft that is designed or converted for the carriage of cargo rather than passengers. Such aircraft generally feature one or more large door ...

of similar sizes in the past. On Monday, 14 October 2013, a

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 gener ...

operated by

Danish Air Transport DAT Aktieselskab, A/S, formerly named ''Danish Air Transport'', is a Denmark, Danish airline headquartered in Vamdrup, Kolding Municipality, operating scheduled and chartered passenger flights mainly from airports in Denmark, Norway, Italy and Ge ...

in collaboration with

Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a cola soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. In 2013, Coke products were sold in over 200 countries and territories worldwide, with consumers drinking more than 1.8 billion company beverage servings ...

arrived on the island, carrying the

FIFA World Cup The FIFA World Cup, often called the World Cup, is an international association football competition among the senior List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams of the members of the FIFA, Fédération Internatio ...

Trophy A trophy is a tangible, decorative item used to remind of a specific achievement, serving as recognition or evidence of merit. Trophies are most commonly awarded for sports, sporting events, ranging from youth sports to professional level athlet ...

. On Saturday, 2 November 2019, a

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

Boeing C-17 Globemaster III The McDonnell Douglas/Boeing C-17 Globemaster III is a large military transport aircraft developed for the United States Air Force (USAF) between the 1980s to the early 1990s by McDonnell Douglas. The C-17 carries forward the name of two previ ...

arrived with cargo and other humanitarian equipment.

Amerijet Amerijet International Airlines, Inc. is an American cargo airline headquartered in Miami, United States. The airline delivers air freight with its fleet of Boeing 767s from its main hub at the Miami International Airport to 48 destinations throu ...

was once a frequent operator at the airport with its

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

, until the airline retired the type in 2018. On Monday, 17 April 2023,

operated chartered flights from

with their

aircraft (YV2911 & YV2912) for the Alba Games in

Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

. This marked the first time an

aircraft arrived at the airport. On Saturday, 9 September 2023, one of Aurora Anguilla Resort & Gulf Club's

Embraer E170 The Embraer E-Jet family is a series of four-abreast, narrow-body, short- to medium-range, twin-engined jet airliners designed and produced by Brazilian aerospace manufacturer Embraer. The E-Jet was designed to complement Embraer’s earlier ...

aircraft arrived at the airport as a Men's Senior Football team charter. The team headed to

Turks and Caicos The Turks and Caicos Islands (abbreviated TCI; and ) are a British Overseas Territory consisting of the larger Caicos Islands and smaller Turks Islands, two groups of tropical islands in the Lucayan Archipelago of the Atlantic Ocean and no ...

to compete in various sporting events. This was the first time an

Embraer 170 The Embraer E-Jet family is a series of four-abreast, narrow-body, short- to medium-range, twin-engined jet airliners designed and produced by Brazilian aerospace manufacturer Embraer. The E-Jet was designed to complement Embraer’s earlier ...

aircraft arrived at the airport.

Upcoming new airlines

Based on a recent report as of 16 August 2022, Venezuelan-based charter airline Sasca (in cooperation with Barbados' Executive Air and Blue Star), will soon begin operating flights in the Eastern Caribbean between

and

, St.Lucia, and

St. Vincent and the Grenadines Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, sometimes known simply as Saint Vincent or SVG, is an island country in the eastern Caribbean. It is located in the southeast Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, which lie in the West Indies, at the south ...

. The flights will be operated by

Jetstream 31 The British Aerospace Jetstream is a small twin turboprop airliner, with a pressurised fuselage, developed as the ''Jetstream 31'' from the earlier Handley Page Jetstream. A larger version of the Jetstream was also manufactured, the Britis ...

and

Jetstream 32 The British Aerospace Jetstream is a small twin turboprop airliner, with a Cabin pressurisation, pressurised fuselage, developed as the ''Jetstream 31'' from the earlier Handley Page Jetstream. A larger version of the Jetstream was also manuf ...

aircraft.

Facilities

Passenger terminal

The Passenger Terminal at the airport houses 10 airline check-in counters, the arrivals and departures area, and 2 Gates. Recently, there was an addition made to the terminal, which added an Executive Lounge that all arriving and departing passengers can utilize. The lounge is full of comforts and services at Douglas Charles Airport of Dominica. Lounge Seating, Complimentary Wi-Fi, Newspaper/ Magazine, Tourism Information and Bookings, Flight Monitors, Cultural Exhibits, Complimentary beverages, Complimentary snacks, Private Rest Rooms, Personalized Meet and Greets, Baggage Assistance, Assisted Immigration and Customs, and Taxi Arrangements. The lounge has many offerings and 3 categories of arrival and departure services. These include: An In-Lounge Service: *A La Carte In Lounge services: Reserved Seating/Service area, Conference/Meeting Room, and a Complimentary Local Call. Arrival Services *Concierge Arrival Services: Personalized Meet & Greet, Baggage Assistance, Taxi Arrangements, and Assisted Immigration & Customs. *A La Carte Arrival Services: Personalized Meet & Greet, Baggage Assistance, Assisted Immigration & Customs, and Taxi Arrangements. Departure Services *Basic: Lounge Security Screening, Boarding Announcements, Airside Access to the Departure Gate. *Concierge Departure Services: Baggage Assistance, Check-in Assistance, Lounge Security Screening, Boarding Announcements, and Plane Boarding Assistance. *A La Carte Departure Services: Baggage Assistance, Check-in Assistance, and Plane Boarding Assistance.

Passenger gates

With the recent commencement of service to

operated by

, a ground-level Passenger gate system was implemented. *The terminal currently has two ground-level gates. Airlines and their respective gates are as follows: *Ground-level (

Gate A gate or gateway is a point of entry to or from a space enclosed by walls. The word is derived from Proto-Germanic language, Proto-Germanic ''*gatan'', meaning an opening or passageway. Synonyms include yett (which comes from the same root w ...

1) - American Eagle. *Ground-level (

2)—On Saturdays,

is the sole user of Ground-Level (

2). Depending on the ramp's available spacing and time of arrival, American Eagle sometimes utilizes Gate 2 as well as Liat20. *All other

turboprop A turboprop is a Gas turbine, gas turbine engine that drives an aircraft Propeller (aeronautics), propeller. A turboprop consists of an intake, reduction drive, reduction gearbox, gas compressor, compressor, combustor, turbine, and a propellin ...

airliners are remotely parked at various non-gated areas on the apron.

Terminal Gates

*(Gate 1 -

Airport terminal An airport terminal is a main building at an airport where passengers transfer between ground transportation and the facilities that allow them to board and disembark from an Fixed-wing aircraft, aircraft. The buildings that provide access t ...

) - American Eagle *(Gate 2 -

) -

Caribbean Airlines Caribbean Airlines Limited is the state-owned airline and flag carrier of Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica. Headquartered in Iere House in Piarco, the airline operates flights to the Caribbean, North America and South America from its base at P ...

, Liat20,

Silver Airways Silver Airways was a regional airline in the United States with its headquarters in Hollywood, Florida, near Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Fort Lauderdale. It was founded in 2011 with assets from the former Gulfstream International Airlines, and la ...

, and

. *(Gate 3 -

) -

Runways and taxiways

The airport features one 6,352-foot runway. Runway 09 has a 1,749-foot

Displaced Threshold A displaced threshold or DTHR is a runway threshold located at a point other than the physical beginning or end of the runway. The portion of the runway behind a displaced threshold may be used for takeoff in either direction and landings from t ...

due to the rising terrain to the west of the airport, with an available landing distance of 4,603 feet. It's only authorized for visual approaches, and landings at night are prohibited. Runway 27 departures are prohibited. *Runway 09 - Visual Approach - HIRL available *Runway 27 - RNAV Approach - HIRL available - SALS - Has a (PAPI)

Precision approach path indicator A precision approach path indicator (PAPI) is a system of Electric light, lights on the side of an airport runway threshold that provides visual descent (aircraft), descent guidance information during final approach. It is generally located on ...

System at (angle 3.00°)

Runway extension

The Minister of Tourism announced Thursday, 11 May 2023, that the Runway at the Dominica Douglas Charles Airport will be extended. Runway 09 will extend further into the valley to accommodate larger passenger aircraft and a higher Takeoff Weight by the existing

Envoy Air Envoy Air Inc. is an American regional airline headquartered in Irving, Texas, in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of the American Airlines Group and it is paid by fellow group member American Airlines to sta ...

service. The extension will be about (180 m) = (+/- 590 ft). The current runway length will be extended from (1756 m - 5761 ft) to (1936 m - 6352 ft). The project is expected to be completed 3 months (November 2023) from the commencement date (August 2023). The runway extension project has been completed with a final length of 6,352 ft. The runway extension project at the Douglas Charles Airport was completed last week, extending the previous facility from 180 meters. This marks a significant achievement for Dominica's aviation industry through improved access and enhanced facilities. The project which was launched last year aimed at extending the 1756 metres long runway to 1936 metres. The runway is said to be built with stronger and more resilient material, aiding improved flow and providing a safe landing for the aircraft during wet weather conditions.

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

* American Eagle and Liat20 operates regional jets;

Embraer E-Jets The Embraer E-Jet family is a series of four-abreast, narrow-body, short- to medium-range, twin-engined jet airliners designed and produced by Brazilian aerospace manufacturer Embraer. The E-Jet was designed to complement Embraer’s earlier ...

and

Embraer ERJ Family The Embraer ERJ family (for Embraer Regional Jet) are regional jets designed and produced by the Brazilian aerospace company Embraer. The family includes the ERJ 135 (37 passengers), ERJ 140 (44 passengers), and ERJ 145 (50 pass ...

Jets. These carriers are currently the only operators serving the airport with Commercial Jetliners. On February 15, 2025,

became third commercial carrier to service the airport with jetliner aircraft;

. *

made history on February 15, 2025, with the inauguration of commercial services from Newark using

aircraft. The airline is the first in the airport's history to operate the

and nonstop flights to the

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

area. * Friday, December 13, 2024, the Prime Minister, the Honorable Roosevelt Skerrit during an End-of-Year Press Conference, stated that the Government is in discussions with an undisclosed airline for a

non-stop flight A non-stop flight is a flight by an aircraft with no intermediate stops, as opposed to a direct flight, which is any flight with no change in flight number, but which may include one or more stops. History During the early age of aviation ...

between

and the

John F Kennedy International Airport John F. Kennedy International Airport is a major international airport serving New York City and its metropolitan area. JFK Airport is located on the southwestern shore of Long Island, in Queens, New York City, bordering Jamaica Bay. It is t ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

to commence in 2025. It is rumored that

will operate

Airbus A320 The Airbus A320 family is a series of narrow-body airliners developed and produced by Airbus. The A320 was launched in March 1984, Maiden flight, first flew on 22 February 1987, and was introduced in April 1988 by Air France. The first membe ...

aircraft. * Dominica will become an Eastern Caribbean Regional hub for

expansion operations in the coming months.

Cargo

Statistics

Top destinations

Annual traffic

Incidents and accidents

*An Air Anguilla

Cessna 402 The Cessna 401 and 402 are a series of 6 to 10 seat, light twin-piston engine aircraft.Montgomery, MR & Gerald Foster: ''A Field Guide to Airplanes, Second Edition'', page 108. Houghton Mifflin Company, 1992. All seats are easily removable so ...

impacted terrain west of the airport, killing all 11 on board, on 23 August 1998. *On Saturday 11 August 2007, a

Learjet 35 The Learjet Model 35 and Model 36 are a series of American multi-role business jets and military transport aircraft manufactured by Learjet between 1973 and 1993. When used by the United States Air Force, they carry the designation C-21A. Learj ...

business jet ran off the runway suffering extensive damage. *On Tuesday 4 December 2012, an

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

cargo jet overran the runway, no reported damage or injuries. *On 8 April 2019, a British Aerospace 4100 Jetstream 41, registration HI1038, crash-landed at Douglas Charles Airport, Commonwealth of Dominica, after a commercial flight from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. There were no fatalities.

Other facilities

The airport houses the Dominica Outstation of the Eastern Caribbean Civil Aviation Authority.Dominica Outstation
" Eastern Caribbean Civil Aviation Authority. Retrieved on 23 December 2012.

Navigation

The airport offers an

RNAV Area navigation (RNAV, usually pronounced as ) is a method of instrument flight rules (IFR) navigation that allows aircraft to fly along a desired flight path, rather than being restricted to routes defined by ground-based navigation beacons. ...

approach only on Runway 27. Landings on Runway 09 are strictly visual.

References

External links

OpenStreetMap - Douglas-Charles International Airport
15 Feb 2006 * {{DEFAULTSORT:Douglas-Charles Airport 1961 establishments in Dominica Airports in Dominica Airports established in 1961

History

Historical jetliner service

Airport expansion

Renaming of airport

Commercial jetliner service

Airliner visits

Upcoming new airlines

Facilities

Passenger terminal

Passenger gates

Terminal Gates

Runways and taxiways

Runway extension

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

Cargo

Statistics

Top destinations

Annual traffic

Incidents and accidents

Other facilities

Navigation

See also

References

External links