From a small military base turned civilian airport the Princess Juliana International Airport has seen St. Maarten grow from a small island with an agriculturally based economy into one of the major tourist destinations in the Caribbean.

The site where the airport is presently located was opened in 1964. Since then the airport has seen considerable growth. In 2003 the Airport catered to some 1.5 million passengers and handled on average 185 scheduled and charter aircraft movements a day from the Caribbean, Europe and North, Central and South America.

With a network of approximately 60 companies, organizations and public agencies, jointly constituting the Princess Juliana International Airport product, the airport provides employment to some 800 people of which 210 are working directly for PJIAE.

However the growth in business activities has outgrown the design capacities of the airport facilities as constructed in 1964 and upgraded beginning 1980´s.

In order for PJIAE to become a safer, larger, more modern, and more efficient airport for St. Maarten and the region it serves, a master plan was commissioned in 1997 to identify the possibilities for immediate and future development of the airport. The master plan covers three phases of development in accordance with forecasted passenger volumes. With both commercial financing and assistance from the financial community the airport intends to meet the goals as set out in the master plan.

Phase I: 1997-2001

Phase II 2003-2007

Phase III: 2012-...

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