Airport type Public Elevation AMSL 49 ft / 15 m 4,301 1,311 Elevation 15 m | Hub for VAL 9/27 4,301 Code VQS Phone +1 787-741-0515 | |
 | ||
Address Km. 2.6, PR-200, Vieques, 00765, Puerto Rico Similar Vieques Air Link, W Retreat & Spa ‑ Vieques I, José Aponte de la Torre A, Isla Nena Scuba, Away Spa | ||
Landing at antonio rivera rodr guez airport vieques
Antonio Rivera Rodríguez Airport (IATA: VQS, ICAO: TJVQ, FAA LID: VQS) is a small public use airport on the island of Vieques in Puerto Rico. Because a large amount of Vieques's yearly revenue comes from the tourism industry, this small airport plays an important part in Vieques's economic outlook. The airport has been for decades the hub of Vieques Air Link, and also a landing facility for a number of small airlines.
Contents
- Landing at antonio rivera rodr guez airport vieques
- History
- Facilities and aircraft
- Airlines and destinations
- Accidents and incidents
- References
As per Federal Aviation Administration records, the airport had 21,517 passenger boardings (enplanements) in calendar year 2008, 20,759 enplanements in 2009, and 46,267 in 2010. It is included in the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015, which categorized it as a primary commercial service airport (more than 10,000 enplanements per year).
History
When anti-military demonstrators started flocking into Vieques, both by air and sea, in 1999, Vieques Airport saw a considerable increase to its normal yearly average of passengers. In addition, many celebrities who travelled from all over Puerto Rico and the rest of Latin America to join the protesters arrived at Vieques through this airport. When Carla Tricoli, a Vieques native, won the 2002 Miss Puerto Rico contest, her first flight as a beauty queen landed at Vieques Airport.
The airport does not accept jet aircraft, but a couple of international flights operate from it. Most of the commercial aviation operations are concentrated on domestic flights such as Vieques to Ceiba, Vieques to Isla Grande Airport in San Juan and Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in Carolina, a suburb of San Juan. Air ambulance flights to Fajardo and San Juan are also available.
Early in 2005, plans were announced to expand the airport's lone runway, so that the airport can accept flights by smaller jets. This would be done in preparation for American Eagle to start operations to the airport. The airline was expected to start flights to Vieques from San Juan's Luis Muñoz Marin International Airport in early 2010, but the airline decided not to begin service.
Facilities and aircraft
Antonio Rivera Rodríguez Airport covers an area of 124 acres (50 ha) at an elevation of 49 feet (15 m) above mean sea level. It has one runway designated 9/27 with an asphalt surface measuring 4,301 by 75 feet (1,311 x 23 m).
For the 12-month period ending August 16, 2011, the airport had 19,450 aircraft operations, an average of 53 per day: 89% air taxi and 11% general aviation. At that time there were 19 aircraft based at this airport: 21% single-engine, and 79% multi-engine.
Airlines and destinations
Scheduled passenger service is provided by the following airlines: