News & Media

Public outreach campaign continues with construction site tour for parliamentarians of St. Maarten

Simpsonbay, St. Maarten (February 27, 2023) – Four (4) parliamentarians graciously accepted an invitation to tour the construction site of the Airport Terminal Reconstruction Project at the Princess Juliana International Airport (PJIA) on Friday, February 17, 2023.

The tour served as an integral component of the Public Outreach Campaign by the PJIA Corporate Communication and Project Management Unit (PMU), to offer the necessary stakeholder’s engagement by way of information disclosure.

Readily available to take the invited tour were President of Parliament, MP Cookie Bijlani, MP Angelique Roumou, MP George Pantophlet, MP Ludmilla Duncan, and support staff.

The revised timeline, the phased-planned approach, and the cost overview of the construction project were among the many factors presented by the Airport Chief, Mr. Brian Mingo, and the Project Director of the Project Management Unit, Mr. Mirto Breell. Some of the final updates made to the parliamentarians was following the mold remediation process on May 6, 2021, and during the Inter-parliamentary Consultation for the Kingdom (IPKO) in May 2022. .

About the Public Outreach Campaign

The Public Outreach Campaign (POC) updates both internal and external stakeholders like the St. Maarten Civil Aviation Authority (SMCAA), Meteorological team, Simpson Bay Recreational Community Association, St. Maarten Hospitality and Trade Association (SHTA), Beacon Hill Community Council, the Tourism Stakeholders Committee, Air Service Development (ASDC), affiliated unions, and the airport community. 

About Princess Juliana International Airport 

Princess Juliana International Airport is one of the busiest airport in the Northeast Caribbean. It is the most important airport hub for Saba, St Eustatius, St Barths, Anguilla, Dominica, Nevis, and Tortola. The airport is one of the largest employers on the island. It has 277 workers and 1700 workers within the entire airport community. The reconstruction works of the airport have started in September 2021. The new Departure Hall will be officially opened in 2023. The terminal building will be opened in 2024. Contractor Ballast Nedam International Projects (BNIP) is working 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, the airport was hit by Hurricane Irma (Cat 5) In January 2020, Princess Juliana International Airport signed the World Bank/EIB loan to reconstruct the terminal. In July 2021, Ballast Nedam International Project signed the contract to start the reconstruction.