Princess Juliana International Airport

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Princess Juliana International Airport
IATA: SXM - ICAO: TNCM
Summary <tr><th colspan="2" align="left" valign="top">Airport type</th><td colspan="2" valign="top">public</td></tr><tr><th colspan="2" align="left" valign="top">Operator</th><td colspan="2" valign="top">Princess Juliana Int'l Airport Holding Company N.V.</td></tr><tr><th colspan="2" align="left" valign="top">Serves</th><td colspan="2" valign="top">Saint Maarten</td></tr>
Elevation AMSL		13 ft (4 m)
Coordinates		18°2′27″N, 63°6′32″W
Runways
Direction	Length		Surface
Direction	ft	m	Surface
09/27	7,708	2 349	Asphalt

Image:StMaartenApproach.jpg

Princess Juliana International Airport (IATA: SXM, ICAO: TNCM) serves the island of Sint Maarten (also known as St Martin) in the Netherlands Antilles. The airport is famous for its short landing strip —only 2,130 metres/7,000 ft, which is barely enough for heavy jets. Because of this, the planes approach the island flying extremely low, right over Maho Beach. Countless photos of large jets flying at 10--20 m/30-60 ft over relaxing tourists at the beach have been dismissed as photoshopped many times, but are nevertheless real. For this reason as well it has become a favourite for planespotters.

The airport was started as a military airstrip in 1942. It was converted to a civilian airport in 1943. It is the second busiest airport in the Eastern Caribbean, after Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico. It was named after Juliana of the Netherlands, the former Queen. The airport serves as a hub for Windward Islands Airways and is the major gateway for the smaller Leeward Islands, including Anguilla, Saba, St. Barthélemy and St. Eustatius.

A new, more modern terminal is currently under construction to replace the small terminal currently handling the airport's arrivals & departures. This new terminal is expected to open on November 10th, 2006, pushed back form June. The runway is also being lengthened, as part of a US$ 87 million project, now in its second phase. Phase II information, from the airport's website

[edit] Airlines

Air Canada (Toronto-Pearson [seasonal])
Air Caraïbes (Saint Barthélemy)
Air France (Paris-Charles de Gaulle)
Air Transat (Montréal, Toronto-Pearson) [all seasonal]
American Airlines (Miami, New York-JFK, San Juan)
- American Eagle (San Juan, Santo Domingo)
BWIA West Indies Airways (Barbados, Kingston)
Caribbean Sun (Charlotte Amalie, San Juan, Tortola)
Caribbean Star Airlines (Antigua, Dominica, St Kitts)
Continental Airlines (Newark)
Corsairfly (Paris-Orly)
Delta Air Lines (Atlanta)
Dutch Antilles Express (Bonaire, Curaçao, (Aruba))
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (Amsterdam)
Leeward Islands Air Transport (Antigua, Barbados, St. Croix, St. Kitts, St. Thomas, San Juan, Tortola)
Saint Barth Commuter (Saint Barthélemy)
Sun Country Airlines (Minneapolis/St Paul [seasonal])
Trans Anguilla Airlines (Anguilla)
United Airlines (Chicago-O'Hare, Washington-Dulles)
US Airways (Charlotte, Philadelphia)
Windward Island Airways (Anguilla, Antigua, Dominica, Montserrat, Nevis, Santo Domingo, Saba, St. Barts, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts, St. Lucia, Tortola)