Flamingo International Airport

Flamingo International Airport, at Kralendijk on Bonaire's west coast, is the sole commercial airport for a Dutch Caribbean special municipality of roughly 24,000 residents — and its placement in the world's 534 largest rests on the volume of international long-haul traffic disproportionate to island population. The 2,880 m (9,449 ft) asphalt runway accepts widebody operations from Europe (KLM and TUI operate seasonal Boeing 777 and 787 service from Amsterdam) and the U.S. eastern seaboard, making a small-island gateway operate more like a continental mid-tier airport during peak dive season. The terminal, named for the Caribbean flamingo colonies that breed on the island's southern salt pans, handles approximately 430,000 passengers annually across about 15 airlines, 25 routes, and 15 destinations (2026). KLM anchors the European link via Amsterdam with through-service to Aruba; Divi Divi Air and EZ Air fly intra-ABC regional routes to Curaçao and Aruba; American (Miami), Delta (Atlanta and New York-JFK), United (Houston, Newark), JetBlue (Boston, JFK), and Sunwing (Toronto) cover North American traffic. The traffic profile is strongly seasonal and heavily dive-tourism dependent — Bonaire Marine Park is the island's principal draw. A 2019 terminal expansion added a new departures area, upgraded jet bridges, and additional screening lanes. The airport is a major employer on Bonaire and handles significant air-freight for the island's grocery supply. Its designation as a widebody diversion alternate for Curaçao-Hato and Aruba-Reina Beatrix adds regional operational weight that the passenger numbers alone would not suggest.