Saint Barthélemy
Gustaf III Airport: The Saint-Barthélemy Approach
December 2007
When these photographs were taken in 2007, the airport at Saint-Jean was known as Gustaf III Airport. The name referred to King Gustav III of Sweden, under whose reign Sweden acquired Saint-Barthélemy from France in 1784. The island returned to French administration in 1878.
The airport’s single concrete runway, designated 10/28, measures 2,119 feet (646 meters) long and 59 feet (18 meters) wide. It lies between the Col de la Tourmente and Saint-Jean Bay. Aircraft approaching Runway 10 cross the elevated terrain and roadway immediately before descending toward the runway. At the opposite end, the runway terminates beside the beach.
French aviation regulations classify the airfield as restricted-use. Aircraft must have suitable performance characteristics, and pilots must complete specialized theoretical and practical training addressing the airport’s terrain, turbulence, approach procedures, and short runway.
These photographs document an Air Caraïbes Express Cessna 208B Grand Caravan approaching Runway 10 over the Col de la Tourmente. The sequence records the unusually close relationship among the aircraft, roadway, hillside, runway, and bay that defines the Saint-Barthélemy approach.
Current Context
In 2015, the airport was renamed Saint-Barthélemy–Rémy de Haenen Airport in honor of Rémy de Haenen, the aviation pioneer who completed the first airplane landing on the island in 1946 and later served as mayor. Gustaf III remains widely used as the airport’s former and alternate name.
