July 11, 2005
On the north end of the island of Montserrat – a British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean Sea – an airport in the village of Gerald’s first went into service. The formal opening of this airport took place nearly five months after it had been dedicated by Anne, Princess Royal, daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip.
The start of operations for this facility (originally known as Gerald’s Airport) marked the return of regular commercial airline service on Montserrat for the first time since W.H Bramble Airport on the island’s east coast was destroyed by an eruption of Soufrière Hills volcano in 1997. During those years between the obliteration of W.H. Bramble Airport and the inauguration of Gerald’s Airport, Montserrat was accessible on a regular basis via only boats, helicopters, and seaplanes.
Gerald’s Airport was renamed in honor of longtime Montserrat native John A. Osborne in 2008. Osborne served as chief minister of the island from 1978 to 1991. The key features of John A. Osborne Airport include a restaurant and a 1,968-foot (600-meter) runway. This facility has the added distinction of being the only airport in the entire Caribbean region with a public tunnel beneath its runway.
Photo Credit: Stefan Krasowski (https://www.flickr.com/people/65638600@N05) – licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en
Additional information on John A. Osborne Airport (originally called Gerald’s Airport) is available at https://www.gov.ms/government/ministries/ministry-of-communications-works-energy-labour/airport-management/
Transportation History 
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