Princess Juliana International Airport (PJIA) officially turned 75 years old on December 3, 2018, and the managing board plans not only to restore the beauty of the terminal building but that operations will be transferred temporarily into the terminal building in time for the peak of the tourist season.
According to the board on Tuesday, the airport facilities sustained severe damage at the hands of Hurricanes Irma and Maria in September 2017. Commercial operations were restored on October 10, 2017, a little over a month after the storms forced the closure of the airport facilities which were immediately taken over by the Dutch, French and US military authorities.
Project Manager Rob Noorman said on Tuesday that the migration project for the arrival and departure operations should commence next week. The project management team is currently getting ready for the dismantling of the pavilions, which will be done by the Event Star company.
A major part of the ground floor of the Terminal Building is beginning to take shape with a temporary layout as part of Package 1 – Temporary Operations. The temporary airline counters are being erected in the check-in area and the inbound/outbound baggage conveyor belts have already been tested and are in good working condition.
Also noticeable are the food-and-beverage and retail concession areas that will be ready for handing over to the concessionaires in the next couple of weeks. Returning concessions like Subway, AMA, Dutch Delight, Domino’s Pizza, Market by Villa, Taloula’s Flights, Relay, ESCA, Shipwreck Shops, Gouda Liquor Store, Le Bistro by Bacchus, Princess Promenade, Aunt Clara’s, Johney Burger and KAFFE will be available to the travellers and partially to the public.