This is the completed project.................
The airport was started as a military airstrip in 1942. It was converted to a civilian airport in 1943. In 1964 the airport was remodeled and relocated, with a new terminal building and control tower. The facilities were upgraded in 1985.
Because of increased passenger traffic and the expected growth of passenger traffic in the near future, Princess Juliana International Airport is being heavily modernized following a three-phased masterplan, commissioned in 1997.
Phase I was a short-term programme in order to upgrade existing facilities and improve the level of service at various points. This included widening, strengthening and renovating the runway, increasing the bearing capacity of the taxiways, construction of a new apron and an upgrade of the (old) terminal. Phase I was completed in 2001.
Phase II included the construction of a radar facility and a new air traffic control tower, the construction of a new and more modern, 27,000 m², terminal, capable of handling 2,5 million passenger per year, and the construction of a Runway End Safety Area (RESA) of 150 metres, including a 60 meter overrun, on both ends of its runway, to comply with ICAO rules. The new air traffic control tower and the radar station commenced operations on March 29, 2004, while the new terminal opened on November 10, 2006.
If traffic develops as forecast, Phase III of the masterplan will be executed, consisting of an extension of the new terminal building and the construction of a full parallel taxiway system.
However, the oil price increases since 2003 began impacting discretionary air travel worldwide by early 2008, and the prospect of further price increases threatens to reverse the recent expansion of tourist travel by jet which began with the 1980s oil glut.
The Runway
Video of airplane landing at Juliana International Airport, from hereThe airport is famous for its short landing strip — at only 2,180 metres/7,152 ft, it is barely long enough for heavy jets to land. Therefore, larger planes approach the island flying extremely low, passing 10-20 meters (30-60 ft.) over relaxing tourists on Maho Beach. Photographs of this common occurrence have often been unjustly dismissed as fakes. The low-flying aircraft and challenging task of landing have made the airport one of the favorites among planespotters.
Despite the difficulties in approach, there has been no records of major aviation incidents at the airport. As of early 2007, KLM stopped its weekly Boeing 747 flight to Princess Juliana. Presently, the only airline to operate the jumbojet Boeing 747 to the airport is Paris based Corsairfly, at a frequency of once a week in low season (April through October) and twice a week in high season (November through March)
Link to the 1X.....
JetPhotos.Net Photo » TNCM Terminal Airport by Robert J Cijntje
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