Sint Maarten’s Princess Juliana International Airport (PJIAE) is subsequently experiencing a “significant recovery”. breaking records for passenger arrivals in the first half of 2024.
The phrase “recovery” refers to the airport’s comeback after it was hit hard by Category 5 Hurricane Irma in September 2017, which reduced its operational capacity.
The storm caused extensive damage to most facilities, including removing fencing, destroying runway lighting and damaging 80 percent of the roof. The hurricane was so powerful that it even dragged a small boat close to the runway.
Fortunately, the runway itself was not destroyed.
In 2016, the year before the destruction, PJIAE broke all arrival records with 1.85 million tourists passing through customs.
Eight years later, after several renovations, Princess Juliana experienced 945,205 passenger movements in the first six months of 2024, breaking the record set in the same period in 2016 before the hurricane hit.
“This is an important achievement for our team,” said PJIAE CEO Brian Mingo. “However, we must remain cautious as the travel industry is very sensitive to fluctuations. Our goal is to maintain this positive trend and build on this post-COVID trend.”
Despite Mingos’ cautious words, The airport expects an increase in passenger numbers during the winter season, with up to 9,500 additional daily passengers.
Data shows that St. Maarten will welcome 1.7 million passengers this year, 155,000 more than predicted at the beginning of 2024.
The good news for those visiting this Dutch paradise in the Caribbean is that the airport is opening a new arrivals hall, which is expected to streamline the entire arrival experience for all travelers starting in November.
