The airport is 30 km (19 mi) east of Downtown Port of Spain, in the suburban town of Piarco.

It is also a significant transit hub for the Southern Caribbean and serves as the primary connection point for many passengers travelling from Guyana.

[citation needed] The Piarco Airport opened on 8 January 1931, to serve Venezuela's Compagnie Generale Aeropostale.

Before this, the Queen's Park Savannah, the Mucurapo Field, and the Cocorite Docks (for flying boats) were used as airstrips to serve the island.

In World War II the original airfield was used by the Royal Navy for the Fleet Air Arm No.

A major expansion of the airport, which included the construction of a new terminal building, and high-speed taxiways, was completed in 2001.

[citation needed] In December 2019, the European Union awarded the Airports Authority of Trinidad and Tobago a grant of 1.5 million euros to finance the installation of a large-scale solar panel system at the Piarco International Airport, where ground-mounted solar panels will be installed with an annual generation capacity of 1,443,830 kWh and potentially avoid 1,010 metric tons of CO2 emissions annually.

The overall layout of the building consists of three main elements: a landside core structure, a single-level duty-free shopping mall, and a two-level, Y-shaped concourse.

100-foot (30 m) cathedral ceilings and glass walls provide passengers and other visitors to the North Terminal with a sense of open space and magnificent views of the Piarco savannah and the nearby Northern Range mountains.

In November 2009, upgrades on the south terminal were completed and the area now serves as a private/executive jet facility for high-end travellers.

In addition to passenger airlines, the airport also handles cargo traffic, general aviation, military and helicopter flights to the many oil rigs present offshore.

The western concourse includes a VIP Lounge, four remote stands, and serves all international airlines through gates 1-7.

The two concourses together form the international departures section of the airport, with a duty free mall area and panoramic views of the airfield and the Northern Range.

The public atrium itself is a social space consisting of fast food, shopping and seating underneath the largest glass dome in the Caribbean.

The airport underwent expansion and renovation works in preparation for the Commonwealth Heads of Government summit in November 2009.

These include: The following airlines operate regular scheduled and charter flights to and from Trinidad: This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency