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March 11, 2020Barbados Grantley Adams International – Spotting Guide
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- last modified on March 9, 2020
Grantley Adams International Airport is located in Seawell, Christ Church, eight miles from the capital city of Bridgetown, and it’s the international airport for Barbados. It’s a major gateway to the eastern Caribbean and it has direct services to the United States, Canada, Central America and Europe. The airport serves as a hub for LIAT, as well as being a base for the Regional Security System and their two Fairchild Metro IIIs. It’s also an important air link for cruise ship passengers arriving and departing at the port of Bridgetown. Historically, the airport was one of the few destinations where British Airways operated the Concorde on scheduled services. In fact, Concorde G-BOAE is housed in the Concorde Museum to the east of the terminal however sadly, the museum is now permanently closed.
There is a single east-west runway of 3,353 metres length, capable of managing aircraft up to Boeing 747 size. There are currently two terminal buildings designed to appear as a single continuous structure. The airport is named in honour of Sir Grantley Herbert Adams, the first Premier of Barbados and it operates 24 hours a day.
For the last ten years or so, passenger numbers have been fairly constant, with nearly 2.2 million passengers visiting the island in 2018. However, cargo figures have declined considerably over the last few years with the 2018 figure being just under 11,000 metric tons, less than half the amount in 2012.
Regular passenger operators at Grantley Adams include Air Antilles, Air Canada Rouge, American Airlines, British Airways, Caribbean Airlines, Condor, Copa, JetBlue, LIAT, Virgin Atlantic and WestJet. Eurowings and TUI also serve the island on a seasonal basis in the winter months. Cargo carriers include Ameriflight, Amerijet International, Caribbean Airlines Cargo, DHL Aviation and Transcarga of Venezuela.
Written by Clive Grant (February 2020).
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| Airport Information | |
| Runway | |
| 09/27 | 3,353m (11,000ft) – Asphalt |
| Spotting Information | |
| Ladder | A ladder is not advisable as it is likely to attract unwanted attention. In any case, except for spot #2, the fences are very high and fitted with barbed wire on top. |
| Car/Public Transport | A car is necessary to get about the airport; it’s also useful to have somewhere cool to sit to escape the hot Caribbean sun. |
| Restrooms | Only in the airport terminal. |
| Drinks/Food | There are small local shops near Spots #1 & 2; otherwise in the airport terminal. |
| Hotels | Hopeville Apartments and Shonlan Inn & Apartments are both within a twenty minute walk of the terminal; some of the Shonlan Apartments are pretty basic but prices are reasonable. There are other apartment blocks to the south of the airport and many other hotels along the coastal route towards Bridgetown. |
| Season | Average temperatures and the number of hours of sunshine in Barbados vary little throughout the year. December to April is considered to be the high season, with some airlines only operating and some destinations only served during this period. Also, the sun is not so high in the sky in the winter, which helps with photography. However, hotel prices drop considerably during the low season if that’s an important consideration. |
| Runway Usage | |
| 09/27 | NOTE: THE WESTERN END OF THE RUNWAY WAS NOT IN USE DUE TO THE CONSTRUCTION OF A NEW FULL LENGTH PARALLEL TAXIWAY. CONSTRUCTION IS DUE TO BE COMPLETED BY THE END OF APRIL 2020.
09/27 is the only runway. As with most of the Caribbean, the prevailing winds are from the east, meaning that Runway 09 is almost always in use. Only in exceptional weather situations, such as a hurricane or other storm passing nearby, is Runway 27 likely to be in use. |
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Spot #1 – Pam’s Variety shop |
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| WHERE | THE WESTERN END OF THE RUNWAY WAS NOT IN USE DUE TO THE CONSTRUCTION OF A NEW FULL LENGTH PARALLEL TAXIWAY. THEREFORE THIS SPOT WILL ONLY BE USEFUL FOR DEPARTURE PHOTOS ONCE THIS WORK IS COMPLETED AT THE END OF APRIL 2020. By car, leaving the airport via Airport Access Road, at the roundabout outside the airport take the first exit continuing straight ahead. Follow this road for about 3km, turning left at the Sol petrol station. Follow this road for another 700m until Pam’s Variety shop (see photo) is on the right hand side. Park on the left by the fence; this is Spot #1. |
| WHAT | Traffic using the full length to depart from Runway 09; also landing traffic on Runway 09 in the summer only. |
| TIME | Departures: afternoons from approximately 13:00; arrivals in the summer: all day, although the sun will be quite high in the sky. |
| MISC. | Departures have to be taken through the mesh of the fence. The only shade here and the only facility is Pam’s Variety shop, which is very basic. It’s best to bring what you need. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | ATR72: 260mm, A321: 130mm, 767-300: 110mm |
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Spot #2 – Derelict house |
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| WHERE | DUE TO CONSTRUCTION ON THE RUNWAY THIS SPOT WILL NOT BE BACK TO NORMAL TILL THE END OF APRIL 2020. USE THE ALTERNATIVE AS DESCRIBED. By car, from Spot #1, follow the road south and east for 650 metres until you arrive at a derelict house on your right. Park on the left by the fence; this is Spot #2, alongside the start point of Runway 09. The location is along the perimter fence at the threshold of rwy09 on the opposite side of the terminals. Have a look on the map above as there are two positons next to each other. You can either stay on the west corner for the 09 arrivals (no steps needed) or go to the eastern end for the 09 line-up. For the latter you can stand on the verandah wall of the derelict house to get a view over the fence, otherwise you’ll need to take photos through the mesh of the fence or use a ladder with 2-3 steps. ALTERNATIVE ARRIVAL POSITION: Turn right between two green houses into a field and choose your spot. |
| WHAT | All traffic landing on Runway 09 and traffic using the full length to depart from Runway 09 but grass may cut off part of the wheels if taking ground photos. |
| TIME | In the winter months, from early morning until late afternoon; in the summer months the sun may be too high at this spot for good photos. |
| MISC. |
There is shade on the verandah of the derelict house and the only other facility is the Sunshine Snacks shop, to the left. It’s best to bring what you need.
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| FOCAL LENGTH | Arrivals: 763 = 75mm; CRJ2 = 120mm Line-Up: 763 = 65mm |
Arrivals:
Line-Up:
Alternative position “green house field” till April 2020.
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Spot #3 – Two storey house |
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| WHERE | By car, from Spot #2, follow the road eastwards for 300 metres until you pass the blue two storey house on your right. Park on the left by the fence; this is Spot #3. |
| WHAT | All traffic landing (samples are in the air due to the moved threshold) and most departing traffic on Runway 09. |
| TIME | In the winter months, from early morning until late afternoon; in the summer months the sun may be too high at this spot for good photos |
| MISC. |
You will need to take photos through the mesh of the fence at this location. There is no shade here and the only facilities are at the Sunshine Snacks shop at Spot #2. It’s best to bring what you need.
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| FOCAL LENGTH | Saab 340: 360mm, A321: 175mm, 747-400: 120mm |
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Spot #4 – Crash gate by the children’s playground |
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| WHERE | By car, from Spot #3, follow the road east and north for 500 metres until you reach the Claudia Rollins Play Park on the right. Turn right just before the playground and park here. Opposite the playground is a crash gate with gaps on either side where photos can be taken; the gap on the right hand side is slightly better. Unfortunately, the crash gate is at an awkward angle, making photography difficult, therefore you may prefer to take photos through the mesh of the fence at this location. |
| WHAT | All traffic landing (samples are in the air due to the moved threshold) and most departing traffic on Runway 09; it may also be possible to take photos of traffic using Runway 27 from here but this is a rare occurrence. |
| TIME | In the winter months, from early morning until late afternoon; in the summer months the sun may be too high at this spot for good photos. |
| MISC. |
There is no shade here and the only facility is the Sunshine Snacks shop at Spot #2. It’s best to bring what you need.
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| FOCAL LENGTH | BN2: 600mm, ATR72: 280mm, 767-300: 135mm |
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Spot #5 – Barbados Fire Service |
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| WHERE | By car, from Spot #4, follow the road eastwards for 900 metres until you reach the Barbados Fire Service building on the left. Park off the road on the right hand side before you reach the Regional Police Training Centre. Between the Barbados Fire Service and the Regional Police Training Centre buildings there is a stretch of fence where all arriving and departing traffic is likely to pass. |
| WHAT | All traffic on the runway. Photos of aircraft must be taken through the mesh of the fence, however for traffic departing from Runway 09, it will depend on how high the traffic is at this point. as fast climbing traffic can be easily taken over the fence. |
| TIME | In the winter months, from early morning until late afternoon; in the summer months the sun may be too high at this spot for good photos. |
| MISC. |
There is no shade here and there are no facilities so bring what you need.
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| FOCAL LENGTH | ATR42: 240mm, 737-400: 160mm |
