Hewanorra International Airport

Hewanorra International Airport is about 56 km (35 miles) south of Castries, the capital of Saint Lucia. A taxi ride takes about an hour, using either the East Coast Road or the West Coast Road. Traffic between Castries and the north is heaviest in the morning, at midday and in the late afternoon, so allow extra time at those hours.

The drive from Hewanorra International Airport to Rodney Bay takes about 1.5 to 2 hours. Rodney Bay is in the far north of Saint Lucia, while the airport is at the southern tip near Vieux Fort, so the route crosses most of the island on winding roads. Traffic around Castries can add time at busy hours.

Yes. Hewanorra International Airport is about 4 km (2.5 miles) north of Vieux Fort town, at the southern tip of Saint Lucia. Public minibuses stop on the main road just outside the airport complex and reach Vieux Fort in about 10 minutes, so the town is the closest place to the airport for food, shops and services.

Hewanorra International Airport has one passenger terminal, which handles all arrivals and departures. It contains immigration, customs, baggage claim, car rental desks, a bank with an ATM and currency exchange, cafés and a duty-free departures lounge. The airport operator, SLASPA, has a redevelopment project under way for a new three-storey terminal.

Airlines at Hewanorra include American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, JetBlue, United Airlines, Air Canada Rouge, WestJet and British Airways. They connect Saint Lucia with cities such as Miami, Charlotte, Atlanta, New York, Toronto and London Gatwick. Some routes, including United's flights from Newark and Chicago, are seasonal, so check schedules for your travel dates.

Yes. Taxis wait outside the terminal at Hewanorra International Airport. Fares are not metered and drivers take cash only, in Eastern Caribbean dollars or US dollars, so agree the fare and the currency before the ride starts. The trip to Castries takes about an hour and to Rodney Bay about 1.5 to 2 hours.

Public minibuses stop on the main road just outside the airport complex. They run on set routes, mostly between about 6am and 11pm, with very few on Sundays, and reach Vieux Fort in about 10 minutes. Reaching the north of the island by minibus means changing routes, which is hard with large luggage.

Uber is not the usual way to leave Hewanorra airport. Saint Lucia has a local ride-hailing app, Allez, which matches riders by GPS and takes card payment. Check that rides are available near Vieux Fort before relying on it, because taxis waiting outside the terminal are the most dependable option on arrival.

Yes. Travelers arriving in Saint Lucia complete an online Embarkation/Disembarkation (ED) form at stlucia.org/entry, which replaced the paper form. You can submit it at any time before arrival, on board the aircraft, or at the airport using data or Wi-Fi. Visa and passport rules depend on your nationality, so check them before you travel.

Soufrière, on Saint Lucia's west coast near the Pitons, is reached from Hewanorra airport by road along the West Coast Road heading north. Most visitors take a taxi or a pre-booked transfer, or hire a car at the airport. Roads are hilly and winding, and traffic drives on the left, so drive with care.

Saint Lucia uses Atlantic Standard Time (UTC−4) all year and does not observe daylight saving time. The currency is the Eastern Caribbean dollar (XCD), and US dollars are widely accepted. The airport has a bank with an ATM and currency exchange. The weather is warm throughout the year, so plan for heat on arrival.

Hewanorra International Airport is operated by the Saint Lucia Air and Seaports Authority (SLASPA), which also runs the island's other airport and its seaports. The airfield opened in 1941 as Beane Field, a US military base, and has a single 2,744 m runway able to handle long-haul aircraft from North America and Europe.