News & Media

HEAT WAVE CAUSES THE AIRPORT TO COMBAT THE COOLING SITUATION

Simpson Bay, St. Maarten (Sunday 7th May 2023) – On Saturday, the Airport’s Management, together with labor union WICSU, reviewed the action plan to combat the warm temperatures in some areas of the airport building. Complaints from passengers, employees and key stakeholders, including Immigration and Customs officers, had reached high levels. The Technical - and Project Teams of the airport explained the cause of the higher than usual temperatures in the building, following which they presented their plan to remedy the situation and next steps to various stakeholders. 

 

Four new cooling units will be installed in key areas of the arrival hall to provide additional cooling to the building. This work will start this evening and is expected to be completed by Wednesday. The installation of the additional units will alleviate the situation caused by the heat wave currently affecting the island, and the southern winds, which cause cooled air to escape through entrance doors and vents at an unexpectedly high rate. 

 

The Managing Board thanks all airport staff, WICSU, and stakeholders for their understanding and extends a special thanks to the Technical- and Project Teams for their immediate response in tackling this problem.