Virgil Evans International Airport
Virgil Evans International Airport (IATA: GEI, ICAO: BDGE) is the main airport in the Drake Islands. It is located on the northwest edge of Glendale, just north of Salisbury.
It has four terminals and is the nation’s only international airport. It also serves as the main hub for North Atlantic International Airlines and Drake Interisland Air.
History
The airport started in 1940 as a makeshift RAF base during World War II. It served as an important supply hub for the Allied Forces coming from the United States and Canada. It remained in use until 1946 and lay dormant for three years.
In 1949, Glendale Mayor Virgil Evans proposed using the abandoned airfield as an airport. After two years of struggling to raise funds, construction began on the new facility. Construction was completed in 1954, with the official opening held on 25 May of that year. The airport was named Drake Islands International Airport until 1963, when it was given its current name. Major remodeling projects have taken place at the airport in 1974 (runway improvements), 1978 (renovation of Terminal 1), 1982 (renovations of Terminals 2 & 3), 1986 (improvements to control towers, rail access, and runways), 1990 (construction of Terminal 4), 1998 (upgrades of air traffic control equipment), and 2003 (runway improvements).
The airport can be accessed by motor vehicle via the Tyndale Tollway (from the east) and the Chalmers Tollway (from the north). Taxi and bus services routinely offer daily service to the airport.
The airport is connected to the North Atlantic Rail Service on Jefferson Island, with direct service from Glendale, New Baltimore, Port Chicago, and Sennitt Beach.
Airlines & Destinations
| Airline | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Aer Lingus | Dublin |
| Aeroflot | Moscow-Sheremetyevo |
| Aeromexico | Mexico City |
| Air Canada | Toronto-Pearson, Montreal-Trudeau |
| Air China | Beijing-Capital, Shanghai-Pudong |
| Air France | Paris-de Gaulle, Nice-Cote d’Azur |
| Air Georgeland | |
| Air Heigard | Creburg-Grandville |
| Air India | Delhi, Mumbai |
| Alitalia | Milan-Malpensa, Rome-Fiumicino |
| American Airlines | Chicago-O’Hare, Miami, New York City-JFK |
| Asiana | Seoul-Inchon |
| Austrian Airlines | Vienna |
| BMI | London-Heathrow |
| British Airways | London-Gatwick, London-Heathrow |
| Brussels Airlines | Brussels |
| Cambria Airways | Arvant |
| Cathay Pacific | Hong Kong |
| Continental Airlines | Houston-Bush Intercontinental, Newark |
| Croatia Airlines | Zagreb |
| Cubana de Aviacon | Havana |
| Czech Airlines | Prague |
| Delta Air Lines | Atlanta |
| Drake Interisland Air | London (DI), Towsonsburg |
| El Al | Tel Aviv |
| EgyptAir | Cairo |
| Emirates | Dubai |
| Etihad Airways | Abu Dhabi |
| Finnair | Helsinki |
| Iberia | Madrid |
| Iceland Express | Reykjavik-Keflavik |
| Icelandair | Reykjavik-Keflavik |
| IvalAir | Koiwai-Decker Reginrauve, Londinium-Skorcolum |
| Japan Airlines | Tokyo-Narita |
| Jat Airways | Belgrade |
| KLM | Amsterdam |
| Korean Air | Seoul-Inchon |
| Leubantian Airways | Trilfuva-St. Fila |
| LOT Polish Airlines | Warsaw |
| Lufthansa | Frankfurt, Munich |
| Luxair | Sandweiler |
| Malev Hungarian Airlines | Budapest |
| Mexicana | Mexico City |
| North Atlantic International Airlines | Amsterdam, Arvant, Athens, Barcelona, Brussels, Budapest, Buenos Aires, Cairo, Chicago-O’Hare, Copenhagen, Creburg-Grandville, Doubledance, Dublin, Frankfurt, Ghasobe, Havana, Istanbul-Ataturk, Koiwai-Decker Reginrauve, Londinium-Skorcolum, London (DI), London-Gatwick, London-Heathrow, Los Angeles, Madrid, Manchester, Mexico City, Miami, Milan-Malpensa, Montreal-Trudeau, Montego Bay, Moscow-Sheremetyevo, New York City-JFK, Oslo-Gardermoen, Paris-de Gaulle, Prague, Reykjavik-Keflavik, Rome-Fiumicino, St. Petersburg, San Francisco, Santa Christina, Stockholm-Arlanda, Tel Aviv, Tokyo-Narita, Toronto-Pearson, Towsonsburg, Vienna, Washington-Dulles, Zurich |
| Olympic Air | Athens |
| Qantas | Sydney |
| Qatar Airways | Doha |
| Rossiya | St. Petersburg |
| Royal Air Maroc | Casablanca |
| Royal Jordanian | Amman |
| Saudi Arabian Airlines | Riyadh |
| Scandinavian Airlines | Copenhagen, Oslo-Gardermoen, Stockholm-Arlanda |
| Singapore Airlines | Singapore |
| Surea Airlines | Konggei |
| Swiss International Airlines | Zurich |
| TAM Airlines | Sao Paulo-Guarulhos, Rio de Janeiro-Galeão |
| TAP Portugal | Lisbon |
| TAROM | Bucharest-Henri Coanda |
| Thai Airways International | Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi |
| Tunisair | Tunis |
| Turkish Airlines | Istanbul-Ataturk |
| Ukraine International | Kiev-Boryspil |
| United Airlines | Chicago-O’Hare, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington-Dulles |
| US Airways | Philadelphia |
| Virgin Atlantic | London-Gatwick, London-Heathrow |