Princess Juliana International Airport
Sint Maarten, Sint Maarten
Princess Juliana International Airport
Caribbean crossroads famous for thrilling low-altitude landings.
- ›Maho Beach adjacent to Runway 10 is world-famous for spectacularly close aircraft overflights.
- ›Hurricane Irma in September 2017 caused catastrophic damage, effectively destroying the terminal.
- ›Winair (Windward Islands Airways) uses SXM as its hub for inter-island Caribbean service.
- ›The airport's runway is approximately 7,546 feet (2,300 meters) long.
- ›SXM serves as a regional hub connecting smaller Eastern Caribbean islands to intercontinental flights.
Princess Juliana International Airport, located on the Dutch side of the island of Sint Maarten, is one of the most famous airports in the world due to its dramatically short approach over Maho Beach, where aircraft pass just metres above sunbathers. Originally built during World War II by the United States military, it grew into a major regional hub serving the northeastern Caribbean. Devastated by Hurricane Irma in September 2017, the airport underwent extensive reconstruction and resumed full international operations, reaffirming its role as a gateway to the Leeward Islands.
- Main Terminal — A single integrated terminal handling all departures and arrivals, featuring check-in halls, immigration, customs, duty-free retail, and gate lounges rebuilt after Hurricane Irma damage.
- Taxi cabs available at the designated rank outside the arrivals hall — fixed zone-based fares apply
- Car rental desks from major providers including Hertz, Avis, and local operators located in the arrivals area
- Hotel shuttle buses operated by several resorts on both the Dutch and French sides of the island
- Shared minibus services running along the main road toward Philipsburg and Simpson Bay
- Sonesta Maho Beach Resort, Casino & Spa
- Divi Little Bay Beach Resort
- Simpson Bay Resort & Marina
- Holland House Beach Hotel
- Atrium Beach Resort & Spa
Inside the terminal, passengers will find a modest selection of cafés, snack bars, and a duty-free zone offering Caribbean rum and local products. The nearby Maho Beach strip, just steps from the airport perimeter fence, hosts a lively collection of beach bars and restaurants where plane-spotters and diners share the experience of watching low-flying aircraft. Philipsburg, a short drive away, offers a broader range of Caribbean, Creole, and international dining options.
- Arrive at least two to three hours before international departures, as security and immigration lines can build quickly during peak cruise and holiday seasons.
- Maho Beach is walking distance from the terminal — arrive early to claim a good spot for the famous jet-blast and low-approach viewing experience.
- The island is divided between Dutch Sint Maarten and French Saint-Martin; no passport check is required to cross, but carry ID regardless.
- US dollars, euros, and Eastern Caribbean dollars are all widely accepted across the island, so carry a mix for flexibility.
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Princess Juliana International Airport is the main airport on the Caribbean island of Saint Martin. The airport is located on the Dutch side of the island, in the country of Sint Maarten, close to the shore of Simpson Bay Lagoon. In 2015, the airport handled 1,829,543 passengers and around 60,000 aircraft movements. The airport serves as a hub for Winair and is the major gateway for the smaller Leeward Islands, including Anguilla, Saba, Saint Barthélemy and Sint Eustatius. It is named after Queen Juliana of the Netherlands, who landed there while she was heir presumptive in 1944, the year after the airport opened. The airport has very low-altitude flyover landing approaches because one end of its runway is extremely close to the shore and Maho Beach. While Princess Juliana International is the primary aviation gateway to the island, there is also a smaller public-use airport on the French side, in the French Collectivity of Saint Martin, called Grand Case-Espérance Airport.
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