Lois Larson
Princess Juliana International Airport, located on the Dutch side of the island, is the main airport on the Caribbean island of Saint Martin. The airport is close to the shore of Simpson Bay Lagoon and is known for its low-altitude flyover landing approaches, with the runway just a few kilometres away from Maho Beach. The airport is the second busiest in the North Eastern Caribbean, serving as a hub for Winair and a gateway for smaller Leeward Islands.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name | Princess Juliana International Airport |
| IATA Code | SXM |
| ICAO Code | TNCM |
| Location | Dutch side of the island, close to the shore of Simpson Bay Lagoon |
| Operating Hours | 07:00–21:00 |
| Passenger Traffic | 1,829,543 (2015) |
| Aircraft Movements | 60,000 (2015) |
| Hub for | Winair |
| Gateway for | Anguilla, Saba, Saint Barthélemy and Sint Eustatius |
| Named after | Queen Juliana of the Netherlands |
Explore related products
What You'll Learn
Princess Juliana International Airport
The airport is a hub for Winair and serves as the main gateway to the smaller Leeward Islands, including Anguilla, Saba, Saint Barthélemy, and Sint Eustatius. It is the second busiest airport in the North Eastern Caribbean, serving around 1.8 million passengers annually, with aircraft ranging in size from Cesnas to Boeing 737s. The airport's official operating hours are 7:00 AM to 9:00 PM.
Several airlines provide daily or weekly service to various destinations. Winair, for example, operates flights between Aruba/Bonaire and Sint Maarten, with a stop in Curaçao. Additionally, KLM previously served the airport via a triangle route through Curaçao using a Boeing 747 but switched to direct flights from Amsterdam in 2016, marking the end of the airport's regular Boeing 747 service.
The airport has a fixed-base operator building to accommodate private aircraft, offering office space and private lounges with dedicated customs. PJIA air traffic controllers manage a vast airspace known as the Juliana TCA and provide approach control for several nearby airports. The airport also offers VIP services and storage for private charters.
Travel Guide: Miles to Will Rogers World Airport
You may want to see also
Explore related products
Airport code SXM
SXM is the airport code for Princess Juliana International Airport, located on the island of Saint Martin. The airport is situated on the Dutch side of the island, in the country of Sint Maarten, close to the shore of Simpson Bay Lagoon. It is named after Queen Juliana of the Netherlands, who landed at the airport in 1944 when she was heir presumptive, the year after it opened.
The airport is the second busiest in its hemisphere and serves as a hub for Winair, with regular jet services from metropolitan centres in the United States and Europe, particularly Paris and Amsterdam. It is also a crucial gateway for the smaller Leeward Islands, including Anguilla, Saba, Saint Barthélemy and Sint Eustatius.
The airport has very low-altitude flyover landing approaches because one end of its runway is extremely close to the shore and Maho Beach. This makes it a popular destination for plane spotters, who gather at Maho Beach to witness landings and departures.
In 2015, the airport handled 1,829,543 passengers and around 60,000 aircraft movements. It has undergone modernisation in recent years, with Phase I including widening and strengthening the runway, increasing the bearing capacity of the taxiways, constructing a new apron, and upgrading the old terminal.
On September 6, 2017, the airport suffered significant damage when Hurricane Irma struck the island as a Category 5 hurricane. The airport reopened on October 10, 2017, using temporary facilities while repairs were made.
Airports in Punjab: How Many Are There?
You may want to see also
Explore related products
Airlines and flights
St. Maarten's Princess Juliana International Airport (IATA: SXM, ICAO: TNCM) is located on the Dutch side of the island, close to Simpson Bay Lagoon. It is the main airport on the island, with the airport on the French side, Grand Case-Espérance, being much smaller.
The airport is named after Queen Juliana of the Netherlands, who landed there in 1944, a year after the airport opened. It is the major gateway for the smaller Leeward Islands, including Anguilla, Saba, Saint Barthélemy, and Sint Eustatius. The airport is equipped with two radar systems with ranges of 50 and 250 nautical miles, and its air traffic controllers manage 4,000 square NM of airspace, known as the Juliana TCA.
In terms of airlines and flights, several major carriers serve St. Maarten, including Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Air France, and Winair. Delta offers flights to St. Maarten from various US cities, including Atlanta, Boston, New York, and Miami. American Airlines also provides flights from multiple US cities, such as Washington, D.C., Miami, and Chicago.
KLM operates direct flights between Amsterdam and St. Maarten, while Winair offers connections between Sint Maarten and other Caribbean islands, such as Aruba and Bonaire, with stopovers in Curaçao. Air France has also historically served the island, although one of their flights crashed near Sint Maarten in 1972.
The airport has a unique feature where its runway is extremely close to the shore of Maho Beach, resulting in low-altitude flyover landing approaches. This proximity to the beach and the turquoise waters of the Caribbean makes for a stunning visual experience for passengers.
Washington National Airport: A Convenient Hub for Travelers
You may want to see also
Explore related products
History of the airport
Princess Juliana International Airport (IATA: SXM, ICAO: TNCM) is the main airport on the Caribbean island of Saint Martin. The airport is located on the Dutch side of the island, in the country of Sint Maarten, close to the shore of Simpson Bay Lagoon. It is named after Queen Juliana of the Netherlands, who landed there while she was heir presumptive in 1944, the year after the airport opened.
The airport began as an American airstrip in 1942 during World War II. The first commercial flight landed on 3 December 1943. In 1944, the then-future Queen Juliana visited the island using the airport, and it was subsequently named after her. In 1964, the airport was remodelled and relocated, with a new terminal building and control tower. The facilities were upgraded again in 1985 and 2001.
In 1994, the Kingdom of the Netherlands and France signed the Franco-Dutch treaty on Saint Martin border controls, which allows for joint Franco-Dutch border controls on "risk flights", requiring arriving passengers to have valid travel papers for both sides of the island. The treaty was ratified in the Netherlands in November 2006 and entered into force on 1 August 2007.
Due to an increase in passenger numbers and expected passenger numbers, Princess Juliana International Airport launched a three-phase master plan in 1997 to increase the airport's capacity and improve the country's tourism sector. Phase 1, which ended in 2001, included the widening of the runway, taxiways, and apron, as well as renovating the current terminal. Phase 2 consisted of constructing a new radar facility, a new control tower, and a modern terminal building, which opened in late October 2006. Phase 3 mainly consists of an extension to the modern terminal building and the construction of a parallel taxiway system.
The airport's official operating hours are 07:00–21:00. In 2015, the airport handled 1,829,543 passengers and around 60,000 aircraft movements. The airport serves as a hub for Winair and is the major gateway for the smaller Leeward Islands, including Anguilla, Saba, Saint Barthélemy, and Sint Eustatius. It is known as one of the most popular plane-spotting sites in the world due to its low-altitude landing and short runway.
Lynchburg Regional Airport: Understanding Its Airspace Classification
You may want to see also
Explore related products
Other airports on the island
Princess Juliana International Airport is the main airport on the island of St. Maarten, located on the Dutch side of the island in the country of Sint Maarten. The airport is named after Queen Juliana of the Netherlands, who landed there in 1944, the year after it opened and while she was heir presumptive. It is the second busiest airport in the hemisphere, serving as a hub for Winair and as the major gateway for the smaller Leeward Islands, including Anguilla, Saba, Saint Barthélemy and Sint Eustatius. The airport is equipped with two radar systems with ranges of 50 and 250 nautical miles, and its air traffic controllers manage 4,000 square NM of airspace, known as the Juliana TCA.
While Princess Juliana International is the primary aviation gateway to the island, there is also a smaller public-use airport on the French side, in the French Collectivity of Saint Martin. Other airports on the island include:
Grand Case-Espérance Airport
This airport is located in the town of Grand Case on the French side of the island. It is smaller in size, but offers regular international flights to Puerto Rico (a US territory) and the Dominican Republic. With the island's open border, clearing immigration through any port is all that is needed to explore both French and Dutch St. Maarten.
L'Espérance Airport
This airport is also located in Grand Case and is accessible if you are flying in from within the French Caribbean.
Clayton J. Lloyd International Airport
Located in Anguilla, this airport is one of several for which PJIA controllers provide approach control.
F.D. Roosevelt Airport
This airport is situated in St. Eustatius, and PJIA controllers also provide approach control services here.
Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport
Found on Saba, this airport also receives approach control services from PJIA in St. Maarten.
Abilene, Texas: Airport Accessibility and Travel Options
You may want to see also
Frequently asked questions
Princess Juliana International Airport.
SXM.
The airport's official operating hours are 07:00–21:00.
The airport handles around 1.8 million passengers annually.
