"The runway has a lot of uneven surfaces," Western Air's CEO and president Sherrexcia "Rexy" Rolle told The Tribune at the end of September. "As a result, they experience very rough take-offs and landings because the runway is sunken in different places."
She was talking about North Eleuthera. Western Air's last scheduled flight there was Friday, October 2, and no return date has been given. Halfway down the island, Governor's Harbour Airport is scheduled to stay closed through October for runway paving. That leaves Rock Sound, which has an asphalt plant on site and its own runway rebuild underway, as the one Eleuthera airport with no reported disruption to its Nassau service this month. If you live south of Tarpum Bay, the airport closest to home is carrying a lot of the island's traffic until November.
The northern and central options, as of this week
The current status of each airport depends on who you ask and when they said it. Here is what's on record.
- Governor's Harbour (GHB). Island Airport Development Partners, or IADP, announced in late July that the airport would close for the whole of October. The work covers the runway, taxiways and apron, plus upgraded navigation aids. IADP expects commercial flights to resume in early November. The Out Islands travel site gives November 1, 2026 as the reopening date. We haven't seen a closure notice confirming exactly when work started, so treat October as the scheduled window. It isn't a confirmed timeline.
- North Eleuthera (ELH). In July, IADP said this airport would stay fully operational during the Governor's Harbour project. Things have changed since. Former North Eleuthera MP Rickey Mackey says Southern Air is now the only carrier flying there daily, with a maximum of 15 passengers per flight. Pineapple Air has dropped the route, and Bahamasair flies in at least once a week. The Ministry of Energy, Utilities and Aviation says the Ministry of Works is looking at urgent fixes, working with project teams that include the Inter-American Development Bank.
- Rock Sound (RSD). The flight-information page for Nassau's Lynden Pindling International Airport lists Rock Sound flights on both Bahamasair and Pineapple Air. The board isn't dated, though, and the same snapshot still lists Western Air and Pineapple Air flights to North Eleuthera, so it may lag behind recent changes. Pineapple Air's own booking site lists Rock Sound as a destination it serves from Nassau.
The timing makes this worse. Western Air's suspension starts just days before the Harbour Island Homecoming, which runs October 8 to 12 and is one of the island's biggest cultural events. Mackey told The Tribune the loss would "create major havoc here in North Eleuthera."
Why October was supposed to be the easy month
The Governor's Harbour closure was scheduled for the quietest stretch of the year on purpose. Patrick Nolan, manager of Squires Estate in Governor's Harbour, explained it to The Tribune when the dates were announced:
"If you told me they were closing the airport in March, I'd be jumping up and down because that would be crazy. But if they need to do it in October, that's absolutely perfect."
He said visitors could simply route around it. "Most people will simply fly into North Eleuthera or Rock Sound instead," he said. "There are other options." In July that was reasonable advice. Since October 2, one of those two options has fewer seats than anyone planned for. Rock Sound's role has grown along with it, though no airline has publicly said it is moving Governor's Harbour flights south.
Works Minister Clay Sweeting saw the inconvenience coming. In an interview published September 1 by The Eleutheran News, he said the Governor's Harbour closure would mean rerouting flights between North Eleuthera and Rock Sound. "Some of that might be a little bit painful, in a way, for the sake of persons who have to drive one way or the other," he said. Nobody has announced a shuttle between the airports. If you're collecting guests who planned to land in Governor's Harbour, set up the drive before they book.
What's happening on the Rock Sound airfield
The South End airport isn't idle while it carries this load. On January 15, 2026, the government signed a $14,525,896 airside works contract with Apex Pavers. The scope covers runway reconstruction and overlay, navigation aids for night operations, drainage, fencing, solar apron lighting and striping. The Prime Minister's remarks said the upgrade is designed to handle Bahamasair 737-700 aircraft and international regional jets.
By late summer Sweeting reported progress. "The runway has started to take shape and the work has started there," he said. "The asphalt plant is on the ground. That runway should be completed within the first year." He gave no calendar date for completion. We found no report of the work closing the airport or cancelling flights, and the Nassau flight board lists Rock Sound service. Since that board carries no date, check with your carrier the morning you fly.
The terminal comes next. Sweeting described work on the Rock Sound terminal as still to start, and estimated it would take 18 months to two years once it does. For the next couple of years, the building you check in at will probably look the same while the pavement beside it gets rebuilt.
The rest of the South End work order
The airport project sits inside a larger package of public works in South Eleuthera. The same interview gives a timeline for each piece.
- Roads. The $100 million Eleuthera road public-private partnership covers 163 miles. In February the minister listed Rock Sound, Bannerman Town, Green Castle, Wemyss Bight and Deep Creek among the 40 miles finished by then. By the August interview the total had reached about 55 miles. Bitumen supply problems were slowing the work, water mains were going in at critical spots, and Sweeting said contract costs remain fixed. If you're driving north this month to make up for a closed airport, most of the newer asphalt is close to home.
- The Rock Sound clinic. Contracts are signed and ground preparation has begun on a new health facility. Sweeting described it as an up-to-date clinic with no surgical ward. It will have the other amenities of a modern facility, including a morgue to serve the South, and is an 18-month build from the start of construction.
- Docks. The Tarpum Bay and Palmetto Point docks were described as nearing completion.
- Power. Contractors told the minister a solar array and LNG plant would be finished by December, and he said generation should begin early in 2027. He named Central and South Eleuthera as the areas where reliable electricity matters most.
Every item on that list runs on materials, equipment and crews arriving by air and sea. This month the airport serving that work is also the one serving most of the island's passengers.
Planning a trip before November
If you're flying in or out between now and the end of October, here is what the record supports.
- Book into Rock Sound from Nassau. Bahamasair and Pineapple Air are the two carriers listed for RSD on the Nassau airport's flight board, and Pineapple Air lists Rock Sound on its own booking site. We couldn't confirm any direct Florida service to Rock Sound for this fall.
- Don't count on Governor's Harbour until November. IADP's guidance is early November. The travel-information listing gives November 1, but it still shows some Governor's Harbour routes in its general flight grid, so that grid isn't a reliable guide to October flights.
- Check any North Eleuthera ticket you already hold. Western Air says affected passengers can request refunds by email, and tickets stay valid for one year. With Southern Air's 15-seat aircraft as the only daily service, Homecoming week seats will be scarce.
- Arrange ground transport ahead of time. The Bahamas tourism board lists rental cars, taxis, golf carts, shuttles and private transfers as the ways to get around Eleuthera. Nobody has announced a transfer service tied to the closure, so book your own.
Nolan said the Governor's Harbour work needs to be finished "before next year's busy season." Until it reopens and North Eleuthera's runway is repaired, the Bahamasair and Pineapple Air flights into Rock Sound are the most reliable scheduled way onto the island.
If you own a home in South Eleuthera and won't be here this month, My Bahamas Realtor Properties can handle the details while the airports are disrupted. We can meet guests at Rock Sound, keep an eye on your property, and line up local help so you don't have to manage the drive from the other end of the island. Schedule a private consultation and we'll plan your arrivals around the airfield work.
