Mélange Travel & Lifestyle Magazine April 2018 | Page 292

Pearls Air Strip
In the parish of St. Andrew, the ruins of the Grenada’s first airport remains. Located in the
village of Pearls, this airport was opened in 1943 and served the entire island as it was the
only airport at that time. After the demise of the Grenada Revolution in 1983, and the descent
on the island by the United States military, the airport, its buildings and airplanes were all
destroyed during the military action that ensued. Today, airplane ruins remain strewn around
the old airport’s vicinity and serves as a reminder of the Revolution and of the relationship
once enjoyed beween Grenada and Cuba as one of the abandoned airplanes on the site
belongs to Cuba. A new airport was opened in 1984 in the south of the island which bears
the name of the leader of the Revolution, Maurice Bishop. The old airstrip at Pearls is currently
used as a go-kart racing track.