AIRPORT (February 10, 2006) — Governor Frits Goedgedrag of the Netherlands Antilles and the Lt. Governors of the five island territories toured the Phase II construction site of the Princess Juliana International Airport (PJIA) on Friday February 10, 2006. “In general they all seemed impressed with St. Maartens’ new airport terminal building and interested in further developments,” said drs. Eugene B. Holiday, President of the PJIA Operating Company said afterward.
The Governor and the Lt. Governors are in St. Maarten for their three-day meeting that started on Wednesday. It is the first time the dignitaries received a tour of the facility as a group. They were given a full tour of the new facility and received an update on the progress of the construction. “The gentlemen were very interested, as we could tell from their questions,” said drs. Holiday.
The PJIAE President reported furthermore that the Phase II of the Airport Expansion Masterplan is moving ahead at a favorable pace. “We’re well on target and we expect the handing over of our new facility to be in July 2006. Therefore, the preparations for the migration from our current building to the new facility is also well underway,” he said.
About PJIAE’s Expansion Master Plan Phase II
Phase II of the Princess Juliana International Airport Operating Company (PJIAE) NV Expansion Plan was kicked off on June 18, 2004 and should be completed by late 2006. This US$ 87 million project features the construction of a new airport terminal, the rerouting of a new road around this facility and additional aircraft and vehicle parking capacity. It also includes the addition of the airport’s integrated Air Traffic Control and Radar Facility.
The 28,000 square-meter addition will nearly double the size and passenger capacity of the current facility: it will be able to accommodate 2.5 million passengers per year – 1 million more than it can now. 54,000 square meters of land was reclaimed from the Simpson Bay lagoon for its construction. Koop Holding Europe, headquartered in Groningen, the Netherlands is the main contractor for the project; Netherlands Airport Consultants (NACO) has been engaged to conduct supervision.
By executing Phase II, PJIAE is ensuring continued compliance with the increasing international safety and security standards, to meet future traffic demand and to improve the level of service at the airport. Once completed the Phase II developments will also anchor and enhance St. Maarten’s position as a preferred tourist destination and PJIA’s position as the premier gateway in the North Eastern Caribbean. RBTT Merchant Bank is the principal financier of the project.