Princess Juliana International Airport

Princess Juliana International Airport is the principal international gateway to the dual-nation Caribbean island of Saint Martin / Sint Maarten and one of the most iconic and recognizable airports in the world, famous globally for its Maho Beach approach where arriving jets cross the beach boundary fence at extremely low altitude just feet above sunbathers. Located on the Dutch side of the island at 13 ft (4 m) elevation, SXM serves all of Sint Maarten's roughly 43,000 residents plus French Saint Martin's 33,000 and the vast tourist population drawn by the island's duty-free shopping, beaches, and as a primary cruise port. The airport handles 88 routes across 52 destinations through 37 airlines — an airline count that rivals much larger airports globally, reflecting SXM's role as a Caribbean hub and as an embarkation point for private aviation to the surrounding French West Indies. SXM serves as the Caribbean regional hub for Winair (Windward Islands Airways), providing the aviation lifeline to Saba, St. Barthélemy, Tortola, Nevis, St. Kitts, and Anguilla — including the notoriously short and steeply graded Saba runway, one of the shortest commercial airstrips in the world. Air Antilles and St. Barth Commuter operate similar regional networks. Major international service includes American (Miami, JFK, Charlotte, Philadelphia), Delta (Atlanta, JFK, Detroit), United (Newark), JetBlue, Spirit, Frontier, Copa (Panama), Avianca, Air Canada, WestJet, KLM (direct from Amsterdam with widebody 777 service — one of the longest European-Caribbean routes), Air France (seasonal), Iberojet, Edelweiss, Condor, TUI, Corsair, and British Airways seasonal service. Extensive cruise-ship-related charter and private aviation supplements scheduled volumes. The airfield operates a single asphalt runway — 10/28 at 7,546 ft (2,300 m) — a length that requires certain widebody aircraft to operate at reduced-payload or use specific performance procedures, contributing to the dramatic low approach over Maho Beach. The original terminal building, largely destroyed by Hurricane Irma in September 2017 (a Category 5 storm that devastated both Dutch and French sides of the island), was replaced by an extensively rebuilt passenger terminal that reopened in phases through 2023–2024 after multi-year reconstruction funded in part by Dutch governmental and international recovery financing. The Maho Beach runway-end experience is unique in commercial aviation and has made SXM a pilgrimage site for aviation enthusiasts worldwide.