"It makes it easier for residents to travel for business, healthcare, and family," Prime Minister Philip Davis said on June 25, 2026, when Bahamasair returned to Cat Island after more than twenty years. The ceremony took place at Arthur's Town International Airport, not New Bight, which tells you where the island's new arrival point is.
For homeowners in Arthur's Town, Orange Creek and Bennett's Harbour, guests now land on their end of the island. That's the easy part. Nothing beyond the gate sells you a ride. Rental cars, pickups and dinner all depend on calls made before the guest boards. On the north end, hosting now starts with a schedule and a phone list.
The Terminal That Grew Fivefold
The airport was officially commissioned on May 1, 2026. Some 125 guests flew in on a Bahamasair 737 from New Providence, a trip of about 22 minutes. The old terminal was just over 1,200 square feet. The new one is more than 6,000, with ticket counters, security screening, 52 departure seats, a concession, an ATM, restrooms and parking for up to 50 vehicles.
Two of the upgrades matter most to anyone with family visiting from abroad. First, the building has customs and immigration facilities, so it's now a port of entry and international flights can land directly on the north end. Second, the government added an aviation ambulance in Arthur's Town, which the Prime Minister said "will improve access to critical care when it matters most." New navigation aids, solar lighting and runway safety work also let the field handle larger aircraft, including Bahamasair's ATR-600.
Arthur's Town is one airport in a bigger program. The government says it is building or renovating 19 airports under its Family Island airport project. Cat Island's share puts the arrival point at the north end of the island.
Two Carriers, Two Levels of Certainty
The airport gave scheduled carriers somewhere to land. They are what made it the way in. As of early October 2026, here is how they line up.
| Carrier | Route | Published days | What's confirmed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bahamasair | Nassau to Arthur's Town | Thursdays and Sundays | A nonstop shows on Bahamasair's booking system for Thursday, October 8, 2026 |
| Makers Air | Fort Lauderdale Executive to Arthur's Town | Tuesdays and Thursdays at launch | Started May 12, 2026; the carrier's current page lists both "daily" and "weekly" service |
The Bahamasair schedule is the firmer of the two. The government announced Thursdays and Sundays at the relaunch, and a Thursday nonstop is bookable this week. That suits a long weekend: someone flying from Nassau can arrive Thursday and leave Sunday.
The Makers Air route matters more for guests coming from the United States. Its launch announcement said the new port of entry would shorten transfers for northern Cat Island and help with freight. The same release set Tuesdays and Thursdays as the starting days. The airline's Arthur's Town page now says "daily" near the top and "weekly" at the bottom. Before a guest books, check the date they want directly with Makers Air.
Nothing at the Curb You Didn't Book
None of the sources for this piece shows a taxi stand or rental-car counter at Arthur's Town. Every way out of the airport we found goes through a property that sets it up ahead of time.
Curly's Beach Resort in Bennett's Harbour says it's about ten minutes from the airport and can help arrange rental cars. Shannas Cove Resort says it will pick guests up or arrange a taxi or rental car from Arthur's Town, and calls it the resort's closest airport now that it reopened on May 1, 2026. Orange Creek Inn lists car rentals, help with airport pickup and an on-site convenience store.
For a host, the guest's landing time is the easy part. What needs settling first is who meets them, in what vehicle, and whether a rental will be waiting. If your guests are staying at one of these properties, the property can handle it. If they're staying with you, you are their ground transport, and the Thursday Bahamasair arrival becomes a fixed date on your calendar.
The First Afternoon Within Reach of the Gate
Once the ride is sorted, a lot of the north end is a short drive from the terminal. Here is one sequence that works for a midday arrival:
- Lunch at Curly's Signature Restaurant & Bar, Bennett's Harbour. The resort lists daily hours of 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. One 2025 review on its site comes from someone who ate there without staying overnight. A January 2026 review shows the property is still busy.
- Provisioning at Orange Creek Grocery & Laundromat. It's listed with dry and frozen groceries, household and pharmacy items, coin laundry and delivery anywhere from Shanna's Bay to Gaitors, which helps if guests arrive with more luggage than the car holds.
- A look at the Big Blue Hole off Dickies Road, near Orange Creek. The Bahamas' tourism site describes it as one of the island's landmarks. That description dates to 2017, so check current access locally before you drive out.
- Dinner at Da Smoke Pot on Queen's Highway in Arthur's Town. The official tourism listing describes Bahamian food and seafood, served daily except Mondays. Plan around that if a Sunday arrival runs into a second night.
The second day can go out on the water. The local directory Cat Island United lists Ricky Dean for guided fishing and eco tours on the north end, including snorkeling in the Orange Creek and Alligator Creek marine protected areas. The listing describes him as an experienced fisherman, diver and naturalist. For guests who know their film history, the official tourism guide notes that Sidney Poitier grew up just outside Arthur's Town, the settlement the airport is named for.
Two north-end properties work on their own schedules. Pigeon Cay Beach Club, three miles south of Bennett's Harbour, lists breakfast plus dinners Wednesday through Saturday for its guests. Nothing we found says those dinners are open to the public. Shannas Cove advertises its own dining facilities, with local ingredients, wine and cocktails. If friends book either one, the resort may cover some of their meals. If they're staying with you, the four stops above are better choices.
The Gate Is Getting Busier
The airport opened on an island that was already drawing more visitors. Tourism Minister Glenys Hanna-Martin said Cat Island's air stopover arrivals in the first four months of 2026 were up 68 percent on the same period in 2019 and 9 percent on 2025, according to The Tribune. That was the largest percentage growth in foreign air stopover arrivals of any island in the country.
Visitors are only part of the picture. At the same event, the Prime Minister said that over the previous several months, the island administrator's town planning team had been approving an average of 20 new homes to be built on Cat Island. Aviation Minister JoBeth Coleby-Davis said restoring scheduled service would help unlock the economic potential of Arthur's Town and northern Cat Island.
Put those figures together and the drive from the airport means more traffic from here on. More stopover visitors and new homes going up will lean on the same small set of cars, kitchens and guides. Curly's, Da Smoke Pot, the Orange Creek grocery and the north-end guides are working with the same island they had before the terminal grew fivefold.
That makes the hosting checklist short and specific. Confirm the flight day with the carrier. Book the car or pickup through Curly's, Shannas Cove or Orange Creek Inn, or block off the time to drive yourself. Check whether dinner falls on a Monday. For the Thursday Bahamasair arrival, have those three things settled before your guest leaves Nassau.
When a fifth guest turns into a reason to look at a larger place on the north end, or a long-held Bennett's Harbour property turns into a sale, The Agency Bahamas works on Cat Island with the same attention to timing that a Thursday arrival needs. Contact the team now!
