On the ramp at an Out Island airstrip, a small plane taxis in and the whole terminal, a few chairs and a check-in desk, turns to watch it land. That scene is how most trips between Bahamian islands begin. You fly by scheduled or chartered air service, often by way of Nassau, sometimes straight to the island you want from the U.S.
How do you fly between the Bahamian islands?
You fly on scheduled or chartered service from certified domestic and international carriers, either connecting through Nassau or landing directly on an Out Island. The Bahamas is an archipelago of 16 islands open to visitors, and Nassau is the country’s gateway, but it is not the only door. Some islands receive flights from Florida and other U.S. cities, so a trip does not always have to funnel through New Providence first.
Think of the map in two layers. One layer is the long-haul flights that put you on a Bahamian island from the mainland. The other is the short domestic hops that stitch the islands to each other, the planes that carry islanders, supplies and visitors from Nassau to Eleuthera, Acklins, Crooked Island and beyond.
Through Nassau or straight to an Out Island
Flying into Nassau and changing planes is the pattern many itineraries follow, because the national carrier radiates out from there. Bahamasair, for example, flies from Nassau to Spring Point on Acklins on Saturdays, and to Crooked Island on Wednesdays, with a Wednesday link between Spring Point and Crooked Island itself.
The alternative is to skip Nassau. Marsh Harbour on Abaco, Exuma International on Great Exuma and North Eleuthera all receive flights from the mainland, and each airport is served by different carriers. A direct arrival means your first view of the Bahamas is a small island airport instead of a big hub, which suits travelers whose hotel is a short ride from the runway.
Bahamasair fares and booking
Bahamasair publishes starting fares on several routes, and they give a feel for how the national carrier prices a short domestic hop compared with a hop to the mainland or a neighboring country. The Nassau to North Eleuthera fare is the lowest on the list, a useful marker if you are building a trip around Harbour Island.
| Route (Bahamasair) | Fare starting at |
|---|---|
| Nassau to North Eleuthera | $80.50 |
| Nassau to Providenciales | $148.00 |
| Nassau to Fort Lauderdale | $172.99 |
| Nassau to Havana | $187.00 |
| Marsh Harbour to West Palm Beach | $226.99 |
Reservations from the U.S. can be made through a toll-free line, 1-800-222-4262. Bahamasair also runs a Frequent Flyer Programme that rewards each flight taken, which adds up if your plans include several short legs.
When a boat is the better link
Planes are not the only option. Bahamas Ferry Services and regularly scheduled mailboats connect the major islands, and ferries and water taxis run throughout the country, particularly between New Providence and the Out Islands. They also link Downtown Nassau to Paradise Island, Great Abaco to its nearby cays, Acklins, Crooked Island and Long Cay, and South Bimini Airport to the resort town on North Bimini.
Once you land, the last stretch is often by water. In the Abacos, local ferries are how travelers explore the region, and in the Exumas there are water taxi services. Around Harbour Island and Eleuthera, a boat is the best way to understand the islands that surround them, so a flight is frequently only the first leg of the journey.
Which airlines fly between the islands?
Bahamasair, the national carrier, flies the widest web of domestic routes, and a mix of U.S. and regional airlines fills in the rest, depending on the island. The list changes from island to island, so it helps to read it by destination.
Bahamasair across the islands
From Exuma International Airport, Bahamasair flies to Nassau and Rock Sound, with seasonal flights to Fort Lauderdale. From North Eleuthera it flies to Governor’s Harbour, Nassau and Rock Sound, again with seasonal service to Fort Lauderdale. These routes make the carrier the natural thread between Eleuthera, Exuma and the capital.
On Abaco, Bahamasair flies from Fort Lauderdale to Marsh Harbour on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. It also runs domestic flights between Marsh Harbour and Treasure Cay on Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays, handy for crossing Great Abaco without a long drive on the ground.
Airlines into Abaco
Abaco has the longest list of carriers. American Airlines flies daily from Miami and Charlotte to Marsh Harbour. Aztec Airways flies from Fort Lauderdale to Marsh Harbour every day, and to Treasure Cay on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Tradewind Aviation flies to Marsh Harbour from Stuart and Fort Lauderdale on Sundays, Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
Two carriers reach Abaco from farther afield. JSX flies to Marsh Harbour from Opa Locka, Dallas Love Field (DAL) and White Plains, New York, on Mondays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Air Unlimited connects Sanford Orlando to both Marsh Harbour and Treasure Cay on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Between them, you can start from Texas, New York or central Florida and land on Great Abaco.
Small domestic carriers
LeAir ties together some of the quieter islands. It flies between Treasure Cay on Great Abaco and both Great Harbour Cay in the Berry Islands and Mangrove Cay in Andros, on Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays. From Andros Town Airport, LeAir also flies to Nassau.
Flamingo Air operates from South Bimini Airport to Freeport on Grand Bahama, which links the two nearest islands to the mainland of the northern Bahamas without going through the capital. These are small-island schedules, so the days listed are the thing to build a trip around.
American Eagle and seasonal flights
American Eagle flies from Exuma International Airport to Charlotte and Miami, and from North Eleuthera to the same two cities. On Exuma, American Airlines adds seasonal flights to Charlotte, and Air Canada flies seasonally to Toronto. For North American travelers, that means Exuma and North Eleuthera can be reached without a stop in Nassau.
Which islands have airports?
Many of them do, from the big international fields to single-runway strips beside a settlement. The main airports are Lynden Pindling International on New Providence, Grand Bahama International on Grand Bahama Island and Marsh Harbour International on Abaco. Beyond those, the Out Islands each have their own, and some islands have more than one.
| Airport | Island | Elevation (ft) | Runway |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exuma International | Great Exuma | 9 | 7,051 ft × 151 ft, asphalt |
| North Eleuthera | Eleuthera | 13 | 6,020 ft long, asphalt |
| Andros Town (Fresh Creek) | Andros | 5 | 4,058 ft × 98 ft, asphalt |
| South Bimini | Bimini | 10 | Asphalt |
Exuma International Airport
Exuma International is the primary gateway to the Exumas, with daily domestic and international flights. It sits on Great Exuma near Moss Town, northwest of George Town, and George Town is the main settlement only a few miles away. Odyssey Aviation runs a general aviation terminal with direct access to the ramp.
From here the islands fan out. A small bridge joins Great Exuma to Little Exuma, where Tropic of Cancer Beach, the longest on the island, takes its name from its latitude. The cays are reached by boat, so the flight lands you on Great Exuma and the water does the rest.
Staniel Cay and the Exuma Cays
Staniel Cay Airport is an official Port of Entry in the Exuma Cays, with Customs and Immigration. It puts you close to famous things. Thunderball Grotto, an underwater cave just west of the cay, hides its entrance beneath the surface, and visitors swim through at low tide among bright tropical fish.
Big Major Cay, sometimes called Pig Beach, is reached only by boat and lies close to Staniel Cay. The swimming pigs began in the early 1990s with five baby pigs, and they now swim out to meet boats when they arrive. Across the water, Chat ‘N’ Chill on Stocking Island is a beach bar reachable only by boat, known for fresh conch salad and a Sunday Pig Roast.
North Eleuthera Airport
North Eleuthera Airport serves the northernmost third of Eleuthera, along with the outlying islands of Harbour Island and Spanish Wells. Its single runway is long enough that the airport sees a mix of Bahamasair and American Eagle flights, with Nassau, Governor’s Harbour, Rock Sound, Charlotte and Miami all on the list of destinations.
Harbour Island and Spanish Wells are not on the runway, so the last leg is by boat. That is the pattern in this part of the Bahamas: land on Eleuthera, then cross the water to the island where you are staying.
Andros: four commercial airports
Andros is large and has several airports rather than one. Andros Town Airport, also called Fresh Creek Airport, is a public airport run by the government, with check-in, restrooms and customs and immigration, but no gift shops or restaurants. LeAir flies from here to Nassau.
The other commercial airports on the island are San Andros at Nicholls Town, Clarence A. Bain at Mangrove Cay and Congo Town in South Andros. Which one you use depends on where on Andros you are headed, so pick the airport by the settlement, not by the island’s name.
Bimini, Abaco and the Berry Islands
South Bimini Airport has an asphalt runway and flights to Freeport with Flamingo Air. A ferry or water taxi links the airport to North Bimini’s resort town, so arriving by air still means a short crossing by water.
On Abaco, Marsh Harbour and Treasure Cay both take scheduled flights, and Great Harbour Cay in the Berry Islands connects to Treasure Cay by LeAir. For anyone arriving in their own boat, these places also appear among the ports of entry where customs must be cleared.
Good to know before you go
The U.S. State Department rates the Bahamas Level 2, “Exercise increased caution”, and says most crime occurs in Nassau on New Providence and in Freeport on Grand Bahama.
The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30, and with flights, ferries and mailboats all at work, a weather change can reshape a plan, so build some give into an island-hopping itinerary in those months. Once you land, remember that drivers in the Bahamas keep to the left. Licensed jitneys, identified by the route and number on the vehicle, charge between $1 and $3.
Sources
- Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Island hopping (https://www.bahamas.com/getting-here/island-hopping), checked October 10, 2026
- Bahamasair, home (https://www.bahamasair.com/), checked October 10, 2026
- Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Flying to the Bahamas (https://www.bahamas.com/getting-here/flying), checked October 10, 2026
- Wikipedia, Transport in the Bahamas (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transport_in_the_Bahamas), checked October 10, 2026
- Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Investments & Aviation (bahamas.com), The Exumas (https://www.bahamas.com/islands/the-exumas), checked October 10, 2026
- Wikipedia, Exuma International Airport (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exuma_International_Airport), checked October 10, 2026
- Wikipedia, North Eleuthera Airport (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Eleuthera_Airport), checked October 10, 2026
- Wikipedia, Marsh Harbour Airport (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonard_M._Thompson_International_Airport), checked October 10, 2026
- Wikipedia, Andros Town Airport (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andros_Town_International_Airport), checked October 10, 2026
- Wikipedia, South Bimini Airport (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Bimini_Airport), checked October 10, 2026
- U.S. Department of State, The Bahamas Travel Advisory, Level 2 (https://travel.state.gov/), checked October 10, 2026
- NOAA National Hurricane Center, Climatology (https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/climo/), checked October 10, 2026
To plan your stay
- Best Time to Visit the Bahamas: Weather, Hurricane Season, Sea Temperatures and Junkanoo
- Things to Do in the Bahamas: Beaches, Blue Holes, Swimming Pigs and Fish Fry
- Where to Stay in the Bahamas: Best Islands, Resorts, Boutique Stays and How to Choose
- Know Before You Go to the Bahamas: Entry Rules, Money, Getting Around and Local Customs