Princess Juliana International Airport (PJIA) on St. Maarten is reaching a major milestone in its redevelopment. On October 7, Ballast Nedam International Projects will officially hand over the newly completed arrival hall and baggage reclaim area, moving the airport closer to the opening of its state-of-the-art terminal building.

Following the handover, airport staff will prepare the hall for its opening, including cleaning and setting up key services like Customs, Immigration, and baggage handling. The new arrival hall is scheduled to welcome its first passengers on October 15, replacing the temporary arrival tent used during construction. A grand reopening ceremony for the terminal building is planned for November 14, with more details to be announced.

The new arrival hall will offer enhanced baggage-handling systems for faster luggage retrieval, streamlined Immigration and Customs processes to reduce waiting times, and upgraded passenger facilities to provide a more comfortable arrival experience. Despite ongoing redevelopment, airport operations have continued smoothly. PJIA is projected to handle 1.5 million passengers and 54,000 aircraft movements in 2024.

Michiel Parent, Commercial Director of PJIAE, stated, “In less than a month, all passengers will enjoy the new arrival hall. I’m incredibly proud of our team’s achievements and look forward to the grand opening in November.”

The airport redevelopment follows significant damage caused by Hurricane Irma on September 6, 2017, when the Category 5 storm struck the island with wind speeds exceeding 185 mph (296 km/hr). The terminal’s roof was blown off, entrance doors collapsed, and severe water and humidity damage led to mold growth, rendering the building inoperable. Further damage occurred 10 days later due to Hurricane Maria.

Temporary facilities were set up in the aftermath, with flight operations resuming in October 2017. Initially, small open tents were used for passenger handling, later replaced by larger air-conditioned tents. In December 2018, temporary operations moved back into part of the terminal building, and by November 2019, the operations area covered over two-thirds of the ground floor.