There are currently eleven airlines servicing Grand Cayman’s Owen Roberts International Airport (GCM). Some airlines operate on a seasonal basis and only offer flights in high season from December to April.
The Owen Roberts International Airport (GCM) is a relatively busy airport with over 1.4 million passengers passing through it each year from various parts of the world.
Located in the capital of the Cayman Islands, George Town, the Owen Roberts International Airport is central to many hotels.
In March 2019, Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall officially opened the new airport terminal. It is hoped that the new terminal will alleviate the overcrowding issues as it should now be able to accommodate up to 2.7 million passengers a year.
The Government is already planning the next upgrade to the airport: extending the runway. Lengthening the runway from its current 7,008ft, to 8,000ft or even 9,000ft, as well as strengthening the pavement, would enable larger planes and longer direct flights to land in Grand Cayman, therefore encouraging tourism from European countries. The Government had requested bids for the project so we look forward to hearing more about the development.
Cayman’s national carrier, Cayman Airways, won the 2019 TripAdvisor Travellers Choice awards for Best Airline in the Caribbean and the Top Specialty and Leisure Airline in North America. Cayman Airways travels to and from 12 destinations. The main gateway to Cayman is Miami as they have daily flights to Grand Cayman, but you can also catch a flight from Charlotte, Chicago, Havana, Jamaica, La Ceiba, Tampa, New York and the Sister Islands.
Other airlines that service Cayman are: Air Canada, American Airlines, British Airways, Caribbean Airlines, Delta, JetBlue, Southwest, United Airlines, WestJet and Sunwing. They offer gateways to Atlanta, the Bahamas, Dallas, Kingston, London, Toronto and more. Most of these airlines only service Cayman during high seasons.
Cost of Flights & Flying Time
The average cost of a return ticket from Miami is US$400, from New York US$500, and from London US$1,300. Please note that costs will vary according to high or low season.
The flying time from Miami to Grand Cayman is 1.5 hours. The flight from London is 10 hours (with 45 minutes on the tarmac in Nassau). Flying time from Toronto and New York is four hours.