Making travel arrangements for your charter vacation in the British Virgin Islands is relatively simple. The main airport, Terrance B. Lettsome International airport, is located on Beef Island (EIS) which is connected to
Tortola by a small, bridge.
Beef Island Airport
The Beef Island Airport does not have the capacity for landing jumbo jets yet, so there are currently no direct flights from the mainland to the British Virgin Islands. However, there are four nearby Caribbean hubs you may fly into, including:
St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands - Airport code: STT
St. Maarten - Princess Juliana International - Airport Code: SXM
Puerto Rico - Luis Muñoz Marín International - Airport Code: SJU
Antigua - V.C. Bird International - Airport Code: ANU
Once at any of these hubs, there are a few airlines that fly to the BVI, including LIAT. For current information as to which airlines are serving Tortola, contact the
BVI Tourist Board.
If flying to the U.S. Virgin Islands, you can then take a
ferry from St. Thomas to Tortola. There is no ferry service to Tortola from Puerto Rico, St. Maarten or Antigua.
West End Ferry Terminal
It can get pretty busy at the various ports of entry, which government plans to expand and update in the near future to better serve the volume of visitors.
West End Ferry Departures Area, Tortola
When departing the BVI, be sure to allow yourselves sufficient time to check in. The line ups can get a little crazy.
The per person departure tax is currently $20.00. Once you have checked in at either the airport or any of the ferry terminals, you will be directed to another window to pay your departure tax.
