Castries George F. L. Charles, St Lucia Spotting Guide

Castries George F. L. Charles, St Lucia Spotting Guide

March 17, 2020 - last modified on March 17, 2020

Castries George F L Charles Airport, formerly known as Vigie Airport, is the smaller of the two airports in St Lucia, the other being Hewanorra International Airport sited in the south of the island. The airport is named after Sir George Frederick Lawrence Charles who was the Chief Minister of Saint Lucia between January 1960 and April 1964. Whilst Hewanorra Airport mainly accommodates intercontinental traffic up to Boeing 747 size, Castries generally manages the Caribbean inter island traffic. Castries Airport is located in the northwestern part of the island, 1.2 miles north of the capital city of Castries, and its single runway runs parallel to Vigie Beach, which is a popular tourist attraction. Both of the island’s airports are managed by the Saint Lucia Air and Seaports Authority (SLASPA).

Although the largest aircraft currently serving Castries is the ATR72, historically, the airport has had jet service in the form of Caribair DC9-30s operating inter island routes in the late 1960s. Also in the mid 90s, BWIA operated MD-80s to New York and Miami with a stop in Antigua, as well as flights to Barbados which then continued on to Port-of-Spain, Trinidad.

Runway 09/27 is 1,898 metres in length, and the small terminal is adequate to manage the relatively low traffic levels. Although the airport is not very busy, for anyone with a camera, it is possible to get up close to the runway for impressive action shots of the arrivals and departures. On average, the airport handles 32,000 flights per year carrying 394,000 passengers. Regular passenger operators include Air Antilles, Air Caraïbes, Air Sunshine, Caribbean Airlines, InterCaribbean Airways and LIAT. Cargo operators include Air Cargo Carriers, Ameriflight, DHL Aviation and FedEx Feeder.

As well as Spots #1-4, Castries Airport is one of the few locations where you can get very close to either side of the runway at the eastern half of the airport. A standard 50-55mm lens would be close enough for an ATR72, but photos would have to be taken either through or over the fence. The problem is calculating the point at which traffic is likely to get airborne, as this varies depending on aircraft type and destination. Castries Airport is a very relaxed Caribbean location and, although the police pass by regularly going about their business, they are unlikely to be bothered by anyone taking photos.

Written by Clive Grant (February 2020).

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Airport Information
Runway
09/27	1.898m (6.227ft)
Terminals	One for all traffic
Spotting Information
Ladder	Not necessary, the fence is pretty low.
Car/Public Transport	Although not essential, a car is useful to get about the airport; it’s also useful to have somewhere cool to sit to escape the hot Caribbean sun. Alternatively, walking around from the terminal to Spot #1 will take about 35 minutes.
Restrooms	Nothing around the locations.
Drinks/Food	Some small restaurants can be found around the airport.
Hotels	The Auberge Seraphine Hotel and the Poinsettia Villa Apartments are within a 10-15 minute walk of Spot #1. Other guest houses are nearby, but if you’re staying at one of the island’s resorts, then a car is advisable.
Season	Average temperatures in St Lucia vary little throughout the year. December to April is the busiest and also most expensive time to visit St Lucia, but the sun is well placed for photos. Whilst May and June also offer wonderful weather and better hotel rates, the sun is higher in the sky, making photography more difficult.
Runway Usage
09/27	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 is Runway 27 likely to be in use.

	Spot #1 – Runway 09 Threshold – Traffic on Runway 09, wintertime
WHERE	By car, leave the airport heading east. Turn right at the junction and right again at the roundabout onto John Compton Highway which becomes Seraphine Road, so that you’re still parallel with the runway. Follow this road for about 1.5km to the point at which the road starts to go left away from the runway. At this point, continue straight ahead to the fence and crash gate; this is Spot #1 and it’s OK to park here provided you don’t block the crash gate. There is an old tank which you could stand on to see over the fence, but use extreme caution as it’s very rusty and could give way.

WHAT	Arriving and departing traffic on Runway 09 in the winter only. In the mornings at any time of year it’s also possible to take shots of traffic which has backtracked along the runway as it turns to line up; (see Air Sunshine Beech 1900). This is also the best location for photos of the helicopters of St Lucia Helicopters as they arrive and depart.

TIME	In the winter, all day.

MISC.	There is no shade here and there are no facilities, so bring what you need.

FOCAL LENGTH	ATR72: 70mm, Cessna 208 Caravan: 80mm, Beech 1900: 250mm

	Spot #2 – Runway 09 Touchdown Point – Traffic on Runway 09, wintertime
WHERE	You pass Spot #2 on the way from the terminal to Spot #1. At the point at which the road starts to go left away from the runway and you continue straight ahead, pull off the road here and park. The spot is above the level of the fence here so you can avoid getting the fence in your photos.

WHAT	Arriving and departing traffic on Runway 09 in the winter only. In the afternoons at any time of year it’s also possible to take shots of traffic turning into or out of the terminal area, although heat haze can be a problem; (see Caribbean Airlines ATR72).

TIME	In the winter, all day.

MISC.	There is no shade here and there are no facilities, so bring what you need.

FOCAL LENGTH	Cessna 208 Caravan: 85mm, Cessna 172 Skyhawk: 135mm, ATR72: 280mm

	Spot #3 – Opposite the Apron – Traffic on Runway 09 and traffic parked on the apron, wintertime
WHERE	You pass Spot #3 on the way from the terminal to Spots #1 & 2. On Seraphine Road opposite the apron, park on the side of the road near the junction leading to the marina.

WHAT	Arriving and departing traffic on Runway 09 in the winter only. It’s also possible to take photos of traffic on the apron if it’s parked in a suitable location; (see Ameriflight Brasilia).

TIME	In the winter, all day.

MISC.	There is some shade here under the trees but there are no other facilities, so bring what you need.

FOCAL LENGTH	Cessna 208 Caravan: 85mm, Embraer Brasilia: 200mm

	Spot #4 – Western Apron – Traffic parked or parking on the apron, summertime
WHERE	Walk west from the terminal for about 250 metres until you get a view of the western part of the apron; this is Spot #4 and you’ll need to take photos through the fence here.

WHAT	Traffic on the apron if it parks in a suitable location.

TIME	In the summer, all day, although the sun will be quite high making photography difficult.

MISC.	There is no shade here but other facilities are available in the airport terminal.

FOCAL LENGTH	Variable depending on parking location.