Summary
- The new terminal at Princess Juliana International Airport will be officially opened soon.
- The terminal opened for departing passengers earlier this year and will soon be made accessible for arriving passengers.
- The airport has seen better-than-expected passenger traffic in 2023 and 2024.
Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM), located in the Caribbean nation of Sint Maarten, will soon have its new terminal ready for arriving passengers. It is part of SXM’s Airport Reconstruction Project and has been opening in phases. With its premises made available to departing passengers earlier this year, those landing at the airport will also soon get to arrive at the new building.
Official opening soon
The new terminal at Princess Juliana International Airport will fully open in the coming weeks, as it will be made accessible to arriving passengers. The project to rebuild the airport started in 2021 and has gradually advanced towards the terminal being opened for departing passengers earlier this year.
A big milestone was announced earlier this year when it was revealed that the new departure would welcome passengers by the end of January 2024, with the new check-in area opening in a phased approach. The terminal started with limited retail and dining options, and these are set to increase over time. The departure hall spans 10,000 square meters and is designed to accommodate 2.5 million passengers.
However, reconstruction efforts have faced some challenges in the last few years due to storms and hurricane conditions and precautions, all of which resulted in additional workload. But with the official opening just a few weeks away, a major milestone is set to be achieved.
Getting busy
The new terminal at SXM is, indeed, needed, as recent trends have shown a significant increase in passenger traffic at the airport. In May, Princess Juliana International Airport announced strong results for 2023 and 2024, exceeding passenger traffic targets set at the beginning of both years.
In 2023, the airport saw more than 1.4 million passenger movements, nearly equaling the 2019 numbers (99.5%). Due to a strong rebound in travel, the first quarter of 2024 passenger traffic for SXM reached 93% of 2016 travel and 130% of 2019. Brian Mingo, CEO and Bob Post, CFO at SXM, commented,
“Passenger traffic has rebounded remarkably, and we are nearly back to pre-pandemic levels. We are committed to providing a seamless and positive travel experience for all passengers. We are confident that the strong momentum we witnessed in 2023 will continue in 2024.”
Hotspot for tourists
Princess Juliana International Airport is the second-busiest airport in the Northeast Caribbean. It also functions as a hub for Saba, St Eustatius, St Barthelemy, Anguilla, Dominica, Nevis, and Tortola. This is the airport’s 80th year of operation, and it not only connects the region but is equally popular with tourists for plane spotting.
Its proximity to Maho Beach means that planes come spectacularly close to spectators while landing. However, it is considered dangerous to watch planes take off from the beach, as powerful jet blasts from the planes’ engines can seriously hurt people who are not careful.
Indeed, the proximity of onlookers to the runway makes Princess Juliana International Airport one of a kind. Simple Flying has written about this in detail in the article below.