News & Media
PJIAE Takes Noise Reduction Measures to Improve Passenger Satisfaction on the Airport
SIMPSON BAY, St. Maarten (March 25, 2022) - PJIAE has recently started the rebuilding of the new terminal. The project team is currently carrying out works with the most noise coming from the tile removal and concrete demolishing for a new elevator shaft on the ground floor. This may lead to excessive noise in the weeks ahead. PJIAE has taken noise reduction measures to minimize the disturbance for the airport community and its visitors. The noise intensive work is carried out between 7.00pm-6.00am to reduce the noise nuisance during daytime. The new departure hall will be ready and opened by the end of 2022. The new terminal will be finished in 2023.
Mirto Breell, Project Leader PJIAE: ‘It is our main priority to rebuild the departure hall as soon as we can to improve the SXM airport experience by the end of 2022. However, we also want to take good care of passengers that visit us today as well as our employees who are working on the airport. Together with the contractor, we found a solution by adjusting the working times.
Baris Haboglu from contractor Ballast Nedam International Projects, mentioned: ‘We work with the PJIAE team to realize the new departure hall by the end of 2022 with as limited disturbance to the operations as possible.’
About Princess Juliana International Airport
Princess Juliana International Airport is the second busiest airport in the Northeast Caribbean. It is an important airport hub for Saba, St Eustatius, St Barthelemy, Anguilla, Dominica, Nevis and Tortola. The airport is one of the largest employers on the island. It has 277 workers and an additional 1700 workers within the entire airport community. In 2022, the Sint Maarten airport expects to handle 1.2 million passengers and 54.000 aircraft movements. The reconstruction works of the airport have started in September 2021. By the end of 2022, the departure hall will be ready to use for passengers. In the summer of 2023, the new terminal will be finished. Contractor Ballast Nedam International Projects is actively seeking cooperation with local people and companies which is essential for socio-economic recovery of Sint Maarten.
Historic Timeline
Princess Juliana Airport was officially opened by Princess Juliana in 1944. In 2006, her Majesty Queen Beatrix inaugurated the new terminal building. In 2017, St. Maarten was hit by Hurricane Irma (Cat 5) and the airport’s terminal was heavily damaged. In January 2020, Princess Juliana International Airport signed the World Bank/EIB loan to reconstruct the terminal. In July 2021, Ballast Nedam International Project (BNIP) was the main contractor selected for the reconstruction of the airport terminal.