On January 16, 1943 Pearls Air Field opened in the parish of St. Andrews on the northeast coast of Grenada.

Situated among the mountains and buffeted by crosswinds, Pearls could not handle large aircraft.  The small runway was equipped for small planes only forcing inbound and outbound passengers to change flights in Barbados or Trinidad.  The airport also lacked any night landing facilities.

To complete the inconvenience, Pearls is a 45-minute drive over mountains from Grenada’s capital of St. George’s where the majority of tourist hotels are located.

Pearls Airport closed in 1984 after the opening of Point Salines International Airport in St. George’s, later renamed Maurice Bishop International Airport.