OWEN ROBERTS AIRPORT ASSISTANCE

History Owen Roberts International Airport

Wg Cdr. Owen Roberts was a Wing Commander in the Royal Air Force, during World War II. Following the war, Roberts retired and later founded Caribbean International Airways (CIA). By 1950, Roberts had established regular service between Grand Cayman and Tampa, Florida; Kingston, Jamaica; and British Honduras (now Belize). During the early 1950s, Caribbean International Airlines was operating weekly seaplane service between Grand Cayman and both Tampa and Kingston with Consolidated PBY Catalina amphibian aircraft as the airstrip on Grand Cayman had yet to be completed.

Roberts worked to lobby Cayman Islands Commissioners Ivor Smith and Andrew Gerrard to build airfields on all three of the Cayman Islands. In 1952, construction started on an official airstrip at an estimated cost of £93,000 to construct airports on all three Cayman Islands, a 5,000 ft (1,524 m) runway, along with a terminal was constructed on Grand Cayman at the cost of £100,000. Owen Roberts had acquired two used Lockheed Lodestar twin-prop airliners purchased to keep up with the competition whose interest was now piqued by the soon-to-be completed airfield at George Town.

The inaugural flight of CIA, Ltd. from Kingston, Jamaica to Grand Cayman was set for 10 April 1953. Tragically, however, the Lodestar piloted by Roberts crashed on takeoff from Palisadoes Airport. 13 people, including the 40-year-old Roberts, were killed. The only survivor of the crash was Roberts' brother-in-law, Lt. Col. Edward Remington-Hobbs. Roberts was survived by a wife, Patricia, and their two daughters, in London. His grandson unfortunately passed before him, his name was Will Roberts. He died in a car crash in East End with his best friend Spencer Grainger. The Grand Cayman Island Airport was later named after the late Wg Cdr. Roberts in his honour.

Historical airline service Owen Roberts International Airport

Grand Cayman was being served with scheduled passenger flights by the early 1950s when British West Indian Airways (BWIA, which is now Caribbean Airlines) in association with British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC, which is now British Airways)

We invite you to submit your feedback in order to assist in the enhancement of services received while travelling through our airports. Please email us at was operating one round trip flight a week on a routing of Kingston, Jamaica - Grand Cayman - Belize City with a

Vickers Viking twin-prop aircraft with this service being timed to connect to other BOAC and BWIA flights in Kingston.LACSA (which now operates as Avianca Costa Rica) was providing service by the mid-1950s with two round trip flights a week, one with a routing of San Jose, Costa Rica - Grand Cayman - Miami flown with a Convair 340 and the other with a routing of San Jose, Costa Rica - Grand Cayman - Havana, Cuba - Miami flown with a Curtiss C-46. By 1957, BWIA in association with BOAC had added Montego Bay, Jamaica as a stop on their Kingston-Belize City route flown weekly via Grand Cayman.BWIA then introduced nonstop flights to Miami and in 1958 was operating Vickers Viscount turboprop aircraft on a round trip routing of Kingston - Montego Bay - Grand Cayman - Miami twice a week. By 1963, British West Indian was operating daily Viscount propjet service into the airport with a round trip routing of Miami (MIA)-Grand Cayman (GCM)-Montego Bay (MBJ)-Kingston (KIN)-San Juan (SJU)-Antigua (ANU)-Barbados (BGI)-Port of Spain, Trinidad (POS). In 1964, LACSA was operating Douglas DC-6B propliner flights on a routing of San Jose, Costa Rica - Grand Cayman - Miami with round trip service twice weekly.

The jet age arrived in Grand Cayman during the late 1960s when BWIA introduced Boeing 727-100 "Sunjet" service with a routing of Port of Spain, Trinidad - Barbados - Antigua - St. Lucia - San Juan, Puerto Rico - Kingston, Jamaica - Grand Cayman - Miami operated twice a week with a third weekly flight also being flown with the 727 nonstop between Grand Cayman and Miami. By 1970, LACSA had introduced jet service as well flying British Aircraft Corporation BAC One-Eleven twin jets nonstop to Miami eight times a week and also nonstop to San Jose, Costa Rica twice a week. LACSA continued to serve Grand Cayman through the late 1970s with nonstop flights to Miami operated with stretched BAC One-Eleven series 500 jets.By 1980, Air Jamaica was operating McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30 jet service nonstop to Kingston three days a week with a nonstop flight from Montego Bay being operated once a week. Another international airline flying from the airport was Faucett Perú which in 1985 was operating Douglas DC-8 jetliners between Lima, Peru and Miami three days a week via an intermediate stop in Grand Cayman. In 1993, SAHSA, an air carrier based in Honduras, was operating nonstop Boeing 737-200 jet service to La Ceiba, Honduras twice a week with continuing direct service to Tegucigalpa, Honduras. By 1994, Air Jamaica was operating Boeing 727-200 jet service on a routing of Montego Bay - Kingston - Grand Cayman three days a week while Trans-Jamaican Airlines (which subsequently became Air Jamaica Express) was flying ATR 42 propjets on a routing of Montego Bay - Kingston - Grand Cayman - Belize City - Cancún, Mexico twice a week.

By 1989, American Airlines, Eastern Air Lines and Pan Am had joined Northwest with regard to operating daily nonstop service between Grand Cayman and Miami with American, Eastern and Pan Am all flying Boeing 727-200 jetliners on the route. Locally based air carrier Cayman Airways was also continuing to fly nonstop service with Boeing 737-400 jets on its core Grand Cayman-Miami route at this time in the face of considerable competition posed by these four U.S.-based airlines with all five airlines operating a combined total of sixty (60) departures a week from the airport to Miami in December 1989.By 1994, American had added daily nonstop service to Raleigh/Durham, North Carolina flown with a Boeing 727-200 and had also introduced Boeing 757-200 jetliners on the Grand Cayman-Miami route while USAir (which was subsequently renamed US Airways and has now been merged into American Airlines) was operating nonstop flights to Charlotte, North Carolina three days a week as well as nonstop service to Tampa flown four days a week with both routes being operated with Boeing 727-200 jets.

By the mid 1990s, British Airways had begun operating nonstop service from London Gatwick Airport once a week as well as weekly one stop service from London Gatwick via Nassau with both flights being operated with McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 wide body jetliners. British Airways continues to serve Grand Cayman at the present time with direct Boeing 777-200 wide body flights from London Heathrow Airport via a stop in Nassau.

The Cayman Islands Airports Authority (CIAA) owns and operates the two international airports in the Cayman Islands – Owen Roberts International Airport (ORIA) in Grand Cayman and Charles Kirkconnell International Airport (CKIA) in Cayman Brac.

The CIAA is committed “To bring excellence to your airport experience”, at both airports. We strive to ensure this through the dedicated and efficient service by our staff and through effective relationships with our airport partners, tenants and service providers.

Other Important Information Owen Roberts International Airport

All “no show” guests will still be charged for the service as we require notice of any travel changes

The fast track service does not allow you to bypass any additional/random search which is assigned to guests by the airline, border control or Security (SSSS guests)

Submission of application does not guarantee service. Service is based on availability.

• Booking notice: 48 hours in advance of arriving / departing passenger flights. However, earlier notification is appreciated and accepted.

Booking notice for larger groups (20+ persons) beyond 48 hours is required to make the necessary arrangements needed.

• Cancelation: cancelations need to be sent 48 hours in advance to avoid being charged.

• Payment: at the time of booking we will require either the guest or company credit card to process payment. Cards will be processed within 48 hours of service date.

For your convenience, a copy of your receipt will be emailed to you after payment has been processed.

Main Terminal Facility - Owen Roberts International Airport

• Dining:A full-service restaurant, the Hungry Horse, is open between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. daily serving breakfast fare, hot lunches, sandwiches, soups, snacks, hot and cold beverages and alcoholic drinks. The restaurant, located on the second level, offers indoor and outdoor seating.

• Retail Concessions:Two curb side retail concessions are available, featuring souvenir items, magazines and confections.

• Automated Teller Machine (ATM):An ATM is available in the passenger check-in concourse.

• Postal Drop:A postal drop box is available in the passenger check-in concourse. This box is cleared by the Cayman Islands Postal Service once daily.

• Wireless Internet:Wireless internet access is available throughout the Airport terminal.

• Key Drop Box:A key drop box for all rental car companies is available in the passenger check-in concourse.

• Departure Lounge - Owen Roberts International Airport

• Duty Free:Duty-free shopping is available for luxury items such as jewellery, liquor and cigars.

• Retail Concessions:In addition to luxury duty-free items, souvenirs, sundry items, costume jewellery and confections are available.

• Snack Bar:A snack bar, the Runaway Bar, is open daily between 5:00 a.m. and the last flight departure, serving sandwiches, salads, desserts, fruit, hot and cold beverages and alcoholic beverages.

• Wireless Internet:Wireless internet access is available in the Departure Hall.

• Departure Lounge - Charles Kirkconnell International Airport

• Retail Concessions

• In the departure lounge:Brac Souvenirs

• Snack Bar:A snack bar, the Rainbow Inn, is open daily during flight activity, serving sandwiches, chips, patties, hot and cold beverages and alcoholic beverages

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