Iconic Airport Weeks Away From Opening New Terminal

World famous amongst aviation enthusiasts, Sint Maarten’s Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM) will officially open a new terminal building in the coming weeks. The island was devastated by Hurricane Irma in 2017 with the airport being part of the key infrastructure damaged by the force of the Category 5 storm.

For those unfamiliar with the Caribbean island, the southern part that includes SXM is part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (Sint Maarten). The northern part of the island (Saint Martin) is categorized as a French ‘overseas collectivity’, having semi-autonomous status as a first-order administrative division of France.

The new passenger terminal at SXM opened to departing passengers earlier this year and is on course to open facilities for arriving passengers ahead of the planned official debut in November. This comes as the airport recently celebrated its 80^th anniversary with passenger traffic in the first quarter of 2024 rising to 130 percent of 2019 pre-pandemic levels. SXM experienced 1.4 million passenger movements in 2023, a figure that was 99.5 percent of 2019 levels.

Sint Maarten’s SXM airport new departure hall (Photo: AirlineGeeks | John Flett)

Passengers departing from SXM experience a streamlined check-in with a range of self-service and counter facilities. The security process is expedited with the latest technology baggage scanners meaning that liquid and gels (LAGs) and electronics can remain in carry-on bags. E-gates also facilitate the emigration process into the departure gate area allowing for more time to browse the many stores and eating establishments.

SXM offers passengers a range of duty-free and last-minute shopping choices in addition to a range of eateries including Domino’s Pizza and the Bistronomique restaurant with an excellent pre-flight food and drink menu. A generic airline lounge offering paid day access is also featured but frequent and premium travelers will need to check with individual airlines for access.

Sint Maarten’s SXM airport new departing gate area (Photo: AirlineGeeks | John Flett)

SXM is served by the major U.S. carriers with American Airlines, Delta, and United offering daily connections to the U.S. mainland. JetBlue and Spirit also schedule regular flights with other North American carriers offering seasonal connections with U.S. and Canadian airports. As a result, North Americans accounted for approximately 58 percent of all passenger traffic. In addition, SXM is served by the major European carriers associated with both parts of the island: KLM and Air France.

By far, the airline with the most movements at SXM is WINAIR (Windward Islands Airways), a regional carrier based in Sint Maarten operating to a dozen destinations. This government-owned airline has partnered with the Air France-KLM group allowing passengers to benefit from the Flying Blue loyalty program.

The new terminal at SXM gives passengers a new travel experience however it is the beach at the southern part of the runway that continues to thrill. With potential expansion of services at SXM the iconic viewing area is set to give aviation enthusiasts further opportunities for first-hand viewing of aircraft.

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John Flett

John has always had a passion for aviation and through a career with Air New Zealand has gained a strong understanding of aviation operations and the strategic nature of the industry.

During his career with the airline, John held multiple leadership roles and was involved in projects such as the introduction of both the 777-200 and -300 type aircraft and the development of the IFE for the 777-300. He was also part of a small team that created and published the internal communications magazines for Air New Zealand’s pilots, cabin crew and ground staff, balancing a mix of corporate and social content.

John is educated to postgraduate level achieving a Masters degree with Distinction in Airline and Airport Management. He has been the course director of an undergraduate commercial pilot training programme at a leading London university and a member of Heathrow Community Trust’s ‘Communities for Tomorrow’ panel.

John is currently living in Canada and is contracted as an external instructor for aviation-related organizations.

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