Princess Juliana International Airport

SXM began as a U.S. airstrip in 1942 as part of WWII. In 1943, the first commercial flight landed on December 3, while the future Queen Juliana of the Netherlands visited the airport the following year. In 1964 the airport was remodeled and relocated, a shift that featured a new terminal building and control tower. The facilities were further upgraded in 1985 and 2001. The 2001 upgrade followed a three-phase masterplan, hatched in 1997. Phase I included widening, strengthening, and renovating the runway, increasing the bearing capacity of the taxiways, constructing a new apron, and an upgrade of the old terminal; this was the phase completed in 2001. Phase II featured the construction of a radar facility and a new air traffic control tower, the construction of a new terminal (290,000 square feet), and the construction of a Runway End Safety Area of 490 feet (including a 200-foot overrun), in order to comply with ICAO rules. Both the radar station and air traffic control tower opened on March 29, 2004, while the new terminal (featuring four jet brides) was unveiled in late October 2006. Phase III will only commence if the airport grows as expected and will consist of an extension of the terminal building and the construction of a parallel taxiway system. The Franco-Dutch treaty on Saint Martin border control went into effect on the 1st of August, 2007, allowing for joint Franco-Dutch border controls on so-called “risk flights.” The airport’s last scheduled Boeing 747 service occurred on October 28, 2016, as KLM decided to fly to the airport directly from Amsterdam instead of the triangle route that used the 747. The new route would use an Airbus A330. The aftermath of Hurricane Irma brought back the use of the triangle route, only this time using the A330 (KLM has since returned to flying directly to Amsterdam). The hurricane struck the island as a Category 5 on September 6, 2017, and blew the roof off the terminal, damaged the jetways, and flooded the runways while blowing significant amounts of sand onto them. The airport reopened on October 10th, 2017, using temporary facilities, including pavilions instead of the main terminal. Temporary arrival and departure buildings opened on the first floor of the terminal building in December 2018, while the upper floor and jet bridges remained out of commission. It appears as though everything is not fully operational again.

The airport is located on the Dutch side of the island (the country of Sint Maarten), close to the shore of Simpson Bay Lagoon. 

• Arriving aircraft approach the island at a three-degree glide slope flying low over Maho Beach, which has become one of the world's famous destinations for planespotters, despite the dangers. 
• SXM has an FBO building, offering office space and private lounges with dedicated customs. 
• The air traffic control tower and ground control at the airport also provide approach control for Clayton J. Lloyd International Airport (Anguilla), L'Espérance Airport (French Saint Martin), Gustaf III Airport (St. Barths), F.D. Roosevelt Airport (St. Eustatius) and Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport (Saba).