Maurice Bishop International occupies almost the whole of the Point Salines peninsula at Grenada's south-west corner, a single runway laid across a finger of dry scrubland with the sea on both sides. For a Caribbean gateway it is remarkably close to everything a visitor wants. Grand Anse beach is a short drive north-east, the villas at True Blue and Lance aux Epines are closer still, and St George's is about eight kilometres away. Nobody sells SIM cards inside the terminal, according to the prepaid SIM reference most travellers use, but Digicel's Spiceland Mall store in Morne Rouge sits roughly ten minutes up the road. So the real decision at GND is whether your arrival time lines up with that store's hours. Land on a weekday afternoon and an EC$15 Digicel card is the obvious buy. Land on a Saturday evening, a Sunday or a holiday, or carry a phone without a SIM tray, and an eSIM installed at home is what keeps you reachable until Monday.
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Point Salines: A Cold War Runway That Now Serves Grand Anse
Few small-island airports have a history like this one. Construction began in 1979 under the People's Revolutionary Government of Maurice Bishop, with Cuban workers doing much of the building, to replace the old Pearls airstrip on the east coast, which could not take jets and sat an hour's drive over the mountains from St George's. Washington argued the long runway could serve Soviet military aircraft. In October 1983, after Bishop was killed in a coup, US Rangers parachuted onto the unfinished strip at the start of the American invasion. The airport was completed with US funding and opened to commercial traffic in October 1984 as Point Salines International, and was renamed after Bishop in 2009.
What that history left behind is a 2,744 metre runway, long enough for the widebody jets that now bring British Airways and Virgin Atlantic from London, alongside American, Delta, JetBlue and Air Canada from North America and Caribbean Airlines and regional carriers from neighbouring islands. The terminal is a single, compact building. Arriving passengers walk from the aircraft into immigration, then baggage claim and customs, and out to the taxi rank at the arrivals exit, all on one level and within a few minutes' walk.
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Codes | IATA GND, ICAO TGPY |
| Operator | Grenada Airports Authority, which also runs Lauriston on Carriacou |
| Runway | One runway, 10/28, 2,744 metres |
| Distance to St George's | About eight kilometres |
| SIM counter in terminal | None reported |
| Nearest SIM store | Digicel, Spiceland Mall, Morne Rouge, about ten minutes by road |
Terminal WiFi and the Charging Points
Airport guides describe free WiFi throughout the Maurice Bishop terminal, along with dedicated charging stations for phones and laptops. We could not confirm the exact network name broadcast in 2026, so look for an open network carrying the airport's name rather than a specific SSID, and ignore any unfamiliar network asking for card details.
Connect in the baggage hall
The reclaim belt is the natural place to join the network, because you will be standing still for a while and the arrivals exit leads straight out to the taxi rank with little reason to linger.
Finish the eSIM step that needs internet
If you installed an eSIM at home, use the terminal network to switch the line on for data and confirm it registers on Flow or Digicel. A first connection sometimes takes a minute on a new profile.
Send the messages that matter
Tell the villa or dive shop you have landed, and pin your accommodation on an offline map. The drive is short, but the lanes above Lance aux Epines and Morne Rouge are confusing after dark.
Departures are where the WiFi earns its keep
On the way home, the terminal network and the charging stations matter more than on arrival, since check-in queues for the London and New York flights can be long in the winter season. By then any short eSIM you bought may have lapsed, so it is worth knowing the free network is there.
Taxi Fares From Point Salines, in EC and US Dollars
Taxis wait in a regulated rank outside the arrivals exit, and the official rate sheet is posted at the rank. Fares are per vehicle for up to about four passengers, not per person, and are usually quoted in US dollars to visitors though the local fares are set in East Caribbean dollars. The ranges below are those most commonly published for 2026. Confirm the fare before loading bags, and ask whether it is EC or US dollars, because the difference is a factor of 2.70.
| From GND to | Rough drive | Typical fare (XCD) | About (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Anse and Morne Rouge | 10 to 15 minutes | EC$40 to EC$50 | $15 to $19 |
| St George's town centre | 15 to 25 minutes | EC$45 to EC$55 | $17 to $20 |
| Grenville, east coast | About an hour | EC$80 to EC$120 | $30 to $45 |
| Sauteurs, far north | Over an hour | EC$120 to EC$160 | $45 to $60 |
Most visitors pay the lowest band, since the hotel zone starts almost at the airport gate. Late-night and holiday surcharges are common, and extra bags or dive gear may be charged, so ask what the quoted price covers.
Renting a car at GND
Things to weigh
Grenada's public minibuses carry route numbers on the windscreen and charge roughly EC$2 to EC$5 for common journeys, paid in cash, with service thinning out in the evening and on Sundays. We could not confirm a minibus route that enters the terminal forecourt, so with luggage the taxi is the realistic choice from the airport. Minibuses are useful later, between Grand Anse and the Esplanade bus terminus in St George's.
Your Landing Time Decides Between the Store and the eSIM
Digicel's Spiceland Mall branch, which trades as The Cell, lists hours of 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday and 9am to 3pm on Saturday, and it is closed on Sunday. The next nearest branded store, on the corner of Melville Street and Granby Street in St George's, keeps 8am to 5pm on weekdays and 8am to 1pm on Saturday. Allow for immigration, bags and the drive, and the table below shows how different arrivals work out.
| You clear customs | Store open on the way? | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Weekday before about 4pm | Yes, Spiceland Mall | Ask the driver to stop; buy the EC$15 New Customer SIM with your passport |
| Weekday evening | No | Use a small eSIM or hotel WiFi overnight, visit the store next morning |
| Saturday before about 2pm | Yes, until 3pm | Go straight there; it closes early |
| Saturday afternoon or evening | No, and not again until Monday | An eSIM covers the weekend |
| Sunday or public holiday | No | An eSIM covers you until the stores reopen |
The price gap you are weighing
The Digicel card costs EC$15, about 5.56 US dollars, for 15 GB over 120 days. The cheapest travel eSIMs cost 8 dollars for 1 GB over three days on Airalo, which rides Digicel, or 19 dollars for 5 GB over thirty days on Nomad, which rides Flow. For a weekend arrival, Airalo's 8 dollar plan is the neat bridge to Monday's store visit. For someone who never wants to think about it, Nomad's 5 GB plan covers a week outright.
Connecting On to Carriacou by Air or by Sea
A good share of GND arrivals are only passing through the main island on the way to Carriacou or Petite Martinique, and both onward routes involve a stretch without dependable signal. Both islands are part of Grenada, so any Grenada eSIM or Digicel card carries on working when you arrive.
| Option | Where from | Timing | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| SVG Air to Lauriston (CRU) | Maurice Bishop, same airport | About 20 minutes in a 19-seat Twin Otter; a 2024 timetable listed GND departures at 9:20am and 4:30pm on six days a week | Not published; ask SVG Air's Grenada desk |
| Osprey fast ferry | The Carenage, St George's, about 20 minutes by taxi | About 1 hour 45 minutes; weekdays at 9am and 5pm, Saturday at 9am, no Sunday sailing | EC$80 one way for adults, about US$31, with no return discount |
| Osprey onward to Petite Martinique | Carriacou | About 30 minutes further | Separate short fare |
Schedules for both were adjusted after Hurricane Beryl and Osprey notes that rates and times change without notice, so check with the operator before building a connection around them. Osprey does not sail on Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year's Day or Good Friday.
Plan the connection before the signal drops
If your flight lands too late for the 5pm ferry, you are overnighting on the main island, and a working phone is how you find and confirm a room near the Carenage. On the crossing itself, expect signal to fade in the open water between Grenada and Carriacou and return as the boat nears Kick 'em Jenny and the Carriacou shoreline. On Carriacou, the Digicel store in Hillsborough opens weekdays and Saturday mornings only.
Local and eSIM Prices for a GND Arrival
Here is everything you can realistically buy on landing, in the currency you would pay in, with US dollar equivalents at the fixed 2.70 rate.
| Option | Where | What you get | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Digicel New Customer SIM | Spiceland Mall or Melville Street | 15 GB over 120 days, unlimited Digicel calls | EC$15, about US$5.56 |
| Digicel 3 Day Prime Ultra | Any Digicel store or the app | 10 GB, unlimited local calls | EC$17, about US$6.30 |
| Digicel 7 Day Prime Ultra | Any Digicel store or the app | 20 GB, 80 minutes to the US, Canada and regional Digicel | EC$35, about US$12.96 |
| Airalo eSIM on Digicel | Online, before you fly | 1 GB over 3 days | US$8 |
| Nomad eSIM on Flow | Online, before you fly | 5 GB over 30 days | US$19 |
| Holafly eSIM on Flow | Online, before you fly | Unlimited for 5 days | US$28.90 |
The local products win comfortably on price. What they cost you instead is a stop with a passport during office hours, and nothing at all is sold inside the terminal. For a weekday arrival heading to Grand Anse that stop is easy. For a weekend arrival, a night flight, or a same-day dash to the Osprey at the Carenage, the eSIM is the one that works at the moment you need it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is anyone selling SIM cards in the GND arrivals hall?
Not according to current reports. The prepaid SIM reference most travellers use says no SIM cards are sold at Maurice Bishop International, and neither Digicel nor Flow lists an airport branch. The nearest store is Digicel's outlet at Spiceland Mall in Morne Rouge, roughly ten minutes by taxi, which opens 9am to 5pm on weekdays and 9am to 3pm on Saturday, and stays shut on Sunday.
How much should the taxi to Grand Anse cost from Point Salines?
Published 2026 ranges put it at about EC$40 to EC$50, roughly 15 to 19 US dollars, for the whole vehicle, with St George's slightly more at EC$45 to EC$55. The official rate sheet is displayed at the rank outside arrivals. Always agree the fare and the currency before the bags go in, since a quote of 40 can mean EC or US dollars and the difference is 2.70 times.
Can I ask my taxi to stop at the Digicel store on the way?
Yes, and many drivers will suggest it. Spiceland Mall is on the road between the airport and Grand Anse, so the detour is minimal. Expect to pay a little for waiting time if the queue is long. Bring your passport, and check that the phone is unlocked before you leave home, because staff cannot unlock it for you.
Does the terminal WiFi work well enough to buy an eSIM on arrival?
Free WiFi is reported throughout the terminal, but buying, downloading and activating an eSIM over a shared airport network while queuing for immigration is not a plan we would rely on. Install the profile at home, where you can scan a QR code from another screen, and use the terminal network only to confirm the line connects to Flow or Digicel.
I am flying straight on to Carriacou. Do I need a different plan?
No. Carriacou and Petite Martinique are part of Grenada, so a Grenada eSIM or a Digicel Grenada SIM works on both. What changes is the timing: SVG Air's short hop to Lauriston leaves from the same airport, while the Osprey ferry sails from the Carenage in St George's at 9am and 5pm on weekdays. If you are heading to the ferry, a working data plan helps you track the taxi and any late departure notice.