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Union Island Airport

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Union Island Airport

Union Island Airport (IATA: UNI, ICAO: TVSU) is the airport serving Union Island, Grenadines Parish, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. It is located about 0.25 miles (0.40 km) from the town of Clifton, one of the country's main tourist centers and a major destination for charter leisure flights during the winter holiday season and Easter, for "Easterval" celebration. The airport serves as a focus city for flag carrier SVG Air and features flights to several short-haul regional destinations. It is the southmost airport of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

The airport, which currently handles only turboprop aircraft services mainly light regional aircraft with domestic flights to and from St. Vincent and some of the Grenadines and regular scheduled and shared charter international flights to Barbados, Carriacou, Grenada, St. Lucia and Martinique.

Union Island Airport, which was constructed in 1994, operates as a major gateway to the southern Grenadines with connections from Clifton Harbour via water taxis or charter yachts to Mayreau and the National Marine Park of the Tobago Cays, the focal point for "Marine Tourism" in the area and private boat transfers to the exclusive luxury island retreats on Palm Island and Petit St. Vincent (PSV). The region's tourism industries have helped foster growth at the airport.

It is one of five airports in the multi-island nation of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, the others being Argyle International Airport in St. Vincent, J. F. Mitchell Airport in Bequia, Mustique Airport and Canouan Airport.

SVG Air, is a national airline of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, along with Mustique Airways. SVG Air and Mustique Airways have combined to form a SVG Air / Grenadine Air Alliance, operating 17 Aircraft, with bases in St. Vincent, Antigua and Grenada. Offering visitors and residents a wider choice of International Gateways in and out of St. Vincent & the Grenadines.

The airport has a small passenger terminal building which includes waiting areas as well as processing areas for check in (4 counters), security, emigration control, customs control, baggage reclaim and immigration control. A small carpark is located at the front entrance of the terminal. Boarding of aircraft is on foot across the apron.

Union Island Airport has a fairly short runway with a displaced threshold, so commercial air service is accomplished using short takeoff and landing (STOL) type aircraft. The displaced portion of the runway may be used for takeoff but not for landing.

Union Island Airport is well known for having a difficult approach due to surrounding terrain, prohibiting certain aircraft types from operating at the airport. Landings at the airport are dramatic to experience and technically demanding for pilots. However, Union Island Airport is not quite as dramatic as Saba or St. Barts, but it does have a notable "over-the-hill-and-dive" approach and descent from the west, the usual direction in the easterly trade winds. The main approach into the airport is Runway 08, small GA planes occasionally fly a tight pattern inside the hills, but this requires a sharpish turn to final approach close to the ground and overflies the inhabited area more than the Clifton town people probably prefer. The airport's surroundings leave little room for error or mistake on the behalf of the pilots – with nearby hills and sea at the end of the short runway. The approach to this airport could be considered good practice for pilots before flying to Saint Barthélemy Airport.

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