| Antonio Rivera Rodríguez Airport | |
| Iata: | VQS |
| Icao: | TJVQ |
| Faa: | VQS |
| Type: | Public |
| Owner: | Puerto Rico Ports Authority |
| City-Served: | Isla De Vieques, Puerto Rico |
| Hub: | Vieques Air Link |
| Elevation-F: | 49 |
| Pushpin Map: | USA Puerto Rico |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location of airport in Puerto Rico |
| Pushpin Label: | VQS |
| Pushpin Label Position: | bottom |
| R1-Number: | 9/27 |
| R1-Length-F: | 4300 |
| R1-Surface: | Asphalt |
| Stat-Year: | 2011 |
| Footnotes: | Source: FAA[1] GCM Google Maps[2] |
Antonio Rivera Rodríguez Airport is a public airport on the island of Vieques in Puerto Rico. Because a large amount of Vieques's yearly revenue comes from the tourism industry, this airport plays an important part in the Vieques economy. For decades, the airport has been the hub of Vieques Air Link, and also a destination for a number of small airlines.
It is included in the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015, which categorized it as a primary commercial service airport (more than 10,000 enplanements per year).[3]
When anti-military demonstrators started flocking into Vieques in 1999, Vieques Airport saw a considerable increase to its normal yearly average of passengers. In addition, many celebrities who travelled from all over Puerto Rico and the rest of Latin America to join the protesters arrived at Vieques through this airport. When Carla Tricoli, a Vieques native, won the 2002 Miss Puerto Rico contest, her first flight as a beauty queen landed at Vieques Airport.
The airport does not accept jet aircraft, but several international flights operate from it. Most of the commercial aviation operations are domestic flights such as to Ceiba, to Isla Grande Airport in San Juan, and to Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in Carolina, a suburb of San Juan. Air ambulance flights to San Juan are also available.
Early in 2005, plans were announced to expand the airport's runway, so that the airport could accept flights by smaller jets. This would be done in preparation for American Eagle to start operations to the airport on behalf of American Airlines via a code sharing agreement. The airline was expected to start flights to Vieques from San Juan's Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in early 2010; however, American Eagle decided not to begin service and then subsequently ceased all code sharing flights on behalf of American in the Caribbean.
Antonio Rivera Rodríguez Airport covers an area of at an elevation of above mean sea level. It has one runway designated 9/27 with an asphalt surface measuring 4300by.
Scheduled passenger service is provided by the following airlines:[4]
| Rank | City | Airport | Passengers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ceiba, PR | José Aponte de la Torre Airport (JRV) | align=right | 29,000 |
| 2 | San Juan, PR | Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (SJU) | align=right | 21,000 |
| 3 | San Juan, PR | Fernando Luis Ribas Dominicci Airport (SIG) | align=right | 14,000 |
| 4 | Christiansted, VI | Henry E. Rohlsen Airport (STX) | align=right | 4,000 |
| 5 | Culebra, PR | Benjamín Rivera Noriega Airport (CPX) | align=right | 2,000 |