Getting to Montserrat

Getting to Montserrat is half the fun; it is the reason the island has remained untouched by resorts and chain restaurants. You will find none of those on Montserrat. If you fear small propeller planes, your options to arrive on Montserrat will be limited. The airport is only 1,968 feet (600 meters) long and is ranked 95 out of 100 for shortest commercial runway.

Landing in Montserrat (16.791312, -62.197138)

In essence, there are 4 options on getting to the island:

flight from Antigua aboard Fly Montserrat or BMN SVG Air
flights from Saint Maarten about WinAir
helicopter charter from Antigua via Calvin Air
ferry boat ride from Antigua (typically only available the for holiday season through March)

Ferry Service from Antigua to Montserrat (16.803267, -62.206234)

Fly Montserrat Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander (16.792459, -62.193423)

WinAir De Haviland Twin-Otter (16.792459, -62.193423)

Helicopter charter via Calvin Air (17.140844, -61.790798)

The most inexpensive way is the ferry ride, which takes about 90 minutes with a cost of around $204 USD round-trip. Currently the service is seasonal with spring of 2026 plans to expand to year-round.

By air, round-trip flights from Antigua’s V.C. Bird International Airport takes about 20 minutes and cost around $378 USD, as of 2026. You will have your option to fly either BNM SVG Airways or FlyMontserrat.

Round-trip flights from Saint Maartin’s Princess Juliana International Airport are currently limited to 3 days a week and cost about $268 USD. The one-way flight takes about 40 minutes.

The United States, Canada and Europe all offer direct flights to either Antigua or Saint Maarten.

Helicopter charter service through Calvin Air can be booked by calling 268-789-HELI or completing their online booking direct at Calvin Air. Their Airbus EC130 helicopters are very spacious and seat 6 persons. If a charter is in your price range, we highly recommend it. They are also available for Soufriere Hills volcano tours.

Most flights to Antigua and Saint Maarten from the United States connect through Miami which means unless you live there, you still have to get to Miami first. Our flights out of Miami have been landing around 1:30 PM or 2:00 PM. That means we have time to catch one, maybe 2 flights to Montserrat, and that’s if you initial flight was on time. But this is vacation, why be rushed?

It is because of this that we chose to fly into Antiqua or Saint Maarten and stay a few nights before proceeding to Montserrat in the morning. Not only can your body relax and adjust from a day of travel, but you can take the first flight into Montserrat the next morning and have all day there.

When travelling through Antiqua, we have stayed at the Siboney Beach Club, which allows one night stays, and the Galley Bay Resort & Spa, which has a 3 night minimum. In Saint Maarten we have stayed at the Holland House Beach Hotel right on Great Bay and the Phillipsburg boardwalk.

Once on island, there are many options for vehicle rentals. You can visit the Montserrat’s Tourism Authority for a listing of recommended businesses. In our visits, we have always utilized Jerette with Tip Top Enterprises and have always been very happy.

Here are videos of takeoff’s and landings, in and out of Montserrat.