L.F. Wade International Airport

BDA originated in WWII as Kindley Field, a joint U.S. Army Air Forces/Royal Air Force (RAF) base. It had been built between 1941 and 1943, as several islands were leveled with the waterways filled with reclaimed land between them and St. David’s (creating a contiguous landmass). There were three runways initially. Following the conclusion of the war, the Royal Air Force withdrew from the base, although the local RAF Commander stayed on, on loan to the Bermuda government. The RAF facilities were promptly converted into a civilian air terminal that was to be operated by the local Bermuda government.
Nonetheless, the U.S. Air Force remained until 1970, at which point the airfield was transferred to the U.S. Navy, operating as US Naval Air Station, Bermuda, until 1995. The US Naval Base was transferred to the Bermuda government and is now part of the Ministry of Tourism & Transport. Although the U.S. Navy was not required to meet international civil air standards, the Bermuda government was. This meant that airfield lighting had to be changed, new fences had to be erected, and anything over a certain height and within a certain distance of the runway had to be leveled, amongst other changes. Of the three original runways, only the longest is still in use, with one of the others serving as the taxiway that parallels the runway (having last been used as a runway in 1978) and the last having been blocked by munitions bunkers that were built on the harbor end. On April 16th, 2007, the airport was renamed L.F. Wade International Airport in honor of Frederick L. Wade, a former leader of what at the time was the incumbent governing party (the Progressive Labour Party), in a move that was criticized by the opposition as being politically motivated. In December 2020, a new passenger terminal building opened. It allows for increased passenger capacity, improved passenger handling, covered jet bridges, modern amenities, greater resilience to inclement weather, greater energy efficiency, enhanced security, and better food and retail outlets. Furthermore, it allowed the airport to comply with the most-advanced U.S. facility requirements for Pre-Clearance, allowing U.S.-bound passengers to clear U.S. Customs and Immigration in Bermuda.

The airport is located in the Parish of St. George's, 6.9 miles northeast of Hamilton, Bermuda's capital. 
 

• BDA was a United States government NASA Space Shuttle launch abort site used during low and mid-inclination launches. 
• In 2003, a passenger satisfaction survey placed BDA first amongst North American airports in the "Under 15 million passengers" category (and fourth in the world for airports of that size), citing staff courtesy, security, and check-in facilities. 
• The FBO at BDA is Cedar Aviation Services. 
• There are two Primaclass Lounges at BDA, one for the U.S. and one for international departures.