Aviation History
Barbados has never operated its own flag carrier, relying instead on the multi-government-owned regional airline LIAT, founded in 1956, which has long maintained a major hub presence at Grantley Adams International Airport. The airport itself grew from a 1956 terminal (originally Seawell Airport) into the Eastern Caribbean's major air hub after a 1979 terminal expansion. LIAT's 2020 collapse amid the COVID-19 pandemic and its 2024 relaunch as a smaller carrier reshaped the island's regional connectivity.
A KLM aircraft made an early landing on a grass strip in Barbados, prompting the government to plan a paved airport.
The predecessor to Grantley Adams International Airport opened with a new terminal building.
Leeward Islands Air Transport was established in the Eastern Caribbean on 20 October 1956, later becoming the region's dominant inter-island carrier with a major Barbados hub.
The airport was renamed Grantley Adams International Airport, honoring the former Prime Minister of the West Indies Federation, with a new control tower completed the same year.
A $28 million BDS terminal building opened on 1 November 1979, significantly expanding the airport's capacity.
LIAT entered liquidation amid COVID-19's impact on Caribbean air travel, disrupting regional connectivity through Barbados; operations fully ceased by January 2024.
A reformed, smaller carrier, LIAT (2020), resumed limited service, later rebranding as Liat Air.
LIAT / LIAT (2020) / Liat Air · Caribbean Airlines (regional service)
Wikipedia, Grantley Adams International Airport Inc., airlinehistory.co.uk