Canefield Airport Explained

Canefield Airport
Iata:	DCF
Icao:	TDCF
Type:	Public
Owner:	Government of Dominica
Operator:	Dominica Air & Sea Ports Authority
City-Served:	Roseau, Dominica
Elevation-F:	13
Coordinates:	15.3367°N -61.3922°W
Pushpin Map:	Dominica
Pushpin Label:	DCF
Pushpin Map Caption:	Location in Dominica
Metric-Rwy:	Yes
R1-Number:	01/19
R1-Length-M:	954
R1-Surface:	Asphalt
Stat2-Header:	Based aircraft
Stat2-Data:	1
Footnotes:	Source: GCM SkyVector^[1] Bing Maps^[2]

Canefield Airport is an airport on the west coast of the Caribbean island nation of Dominica. It is 3miles north of Roseau, the capital. It is one of only two airports in the island nation of Dominica, the other being Douglas–Charles Airport.

History

Plans for an airport at Canefield were first discussed in the mid-1970s.^[3] Construction began in early 1979 with British funding, shortly after Dominica's independence.^[4] The airport was officially opened in 1981, and was preferred over Melville Hall (a two-hour drive from the national capital of Roseau at the time). Crosswinds, "occasional landing difficulties", and the facility's small size plagued its operation from the onset despite being closer to Roseau.^[3]

Runways and taxiways

It has one runway 01/19, which measures NaNabbr=offNaNabbr=off. Runway 01 has a 500-foot displaced threshold. There is mountainous terrain to the east, and rising terrain north and south, with the Caribbean sea to the west. Commercial operators require proficiency checks for their crews to be able to operate at the airport.

Traffic

Most of these flights operate with turboprop and piston aircraft such as the DHC-6 Twin Otter, Beechcraft King Air, Freighters, and private aircraft.

Though not common, the airport has handled light business jets such as the Cessna Citation Mustang, and the Cessna Citation II on occasions. One of the largest aircraft to ever land at the airport was a Samaritan's Purse operated Basler BT-67.

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

The following airlines operate passenger and chartered flights to the Canefield Airport:

• Friday, October 25, 2024, a Press Release statement by SVG Air was issued announcing a new, non-stop flight from the Canefield Airport in Dominica to Antigua, St. Lucia - Castries, and St. Vincent–Argyle in St. Vincent (with a one-stop in St. Lucia) that begins November 24, 2024.^[5] This is the first time in years that the airport has had a scheduled airline. Flights will be operated with the de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter aircraft.^[6]
• Coming soon, are new flights that will connect Dominica Canefield Airport to Pointe-à-Pitre in Guadeloupe. These flights will be operated by [Air Inter Iles] by [St. Barth Executive] using Tecnam P2012 Traveller STOL aircraft.^[7]

Cargo

Temperature Record

On 3 October 2015, the weather station at Canefield Airport recorded a temperature of 35.5C. This is the highest temperature to have ever been recorded in Dominica.^[8]

Accidents and incidents

• On Tuesday, March 1, 2011, a Rockwell Shrike Commander aircraft right main gear blew and the aircraft veered off the runway to the right. There were no injuries and this mishap is still unexplained.^[9]
• On Thursday, February 16, 2012, a Cessna 402 made an emergency landing. It landed without further incident.^[10]
• On Thursday, February 27, 2014, a Cessna 404 aircraft ran off the runway, suffered damage to the left wing.^[11]
• On Sunday, February 8, 2015, a private Cessna 404 aircraft coming from Venezuela ran off the runway, suffered extensive damage.^[12]
• On Wednesday, February 7, 2018, a Rockwell Shrike Commander aircraft upon landing suffered nose gear failure.^[13]
• On Wednesday, July 3rd, 2024, a light aircraft Flight Design CT (CTSW) [N7670], was involved in an accident that resulted in substantial damage to the airframe. While on departure, the aircraft encountered severe wind gusts; flipping the aircraft. There were reports of minor injuries to the occupants onboard.^[14]

See also

• Transport in Dominica
• List of airports in Dominica

Notes and References

1. Web site: Canfield Airport . SkyVector . 22 June 2018 . 27 July 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200727090457/https://skyvector.com/airport/TDCF/Canefield-Airport . dead .
2. Web site: Canefield Airport . Bing Maps . Microsoft . 22 June 2018.
3. Book: Honychurch . Lennox . The Dominica Story: A History of the Island . 1995 . . London/Basingstoke . 0-333-62776-8 . 3rd . Development and Welfare: Sea and Air Ports.
4. News: New Dominica airport. United Press International (UPI). January 3, 1979. December 2, 2010. Norwalk, Connecticut. The Hour. 18. Google Newspapers.
5. Web site: SVG Air introduces new route linking four OECS nations . SearchLight. 1 November 2024.
6. Web site: SVG Air launches new inter-island flight routes . CaribbeanLoopNews. 29 October 2024.
7. Web site: Air Inter Iles by St Barth Executive . St.VincentTimes. 27 October 2024.
8. Web site: Masters . Jeff . Sixteen National/Territorial All-Time Extreme Heat Records Set in 2015 . Wunderground . 27 January 2016 . 19 July 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180204182639/https://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/sixteen-nationalterritorial-alltime-extreme-heat-records-set-in-2015.html . 4 February 2018 . live.
9. Web site: Plane accident at Canefield Airport. 27 February 2011.
10. News: UPDATE: Plane mishap at Canefield Airport - Dominica News Online. Dominica News Online. 16 February 2012.
11. Web site: UPDATE: Coastal Airways runs off runway at Canefield | Dominica Vibes News. February 27, 2014. January 10, 2019. August 17, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200817224415/https://www.dominicavibes.dm/news-122909/. dead.
12. Web site: UPDATE: Plane mishap at Canefield. 8 February 2015.
13. Web site: UPDATE: ECCAA to investigate Canefield Airport plane accident. 7 February 2018.
14. https://dominicanewsonline.com/news/aviation/small-aircraft-crashes-at-canefield-airport/