Aviation Specials – May 2018

4,800m visibility, more than adequate

on mornings when the skies are clear

blue, but sometimes challenging when an

almost-inevitable afternoon squall

passes through.

Sint Maarten’s modern four-level

terminal, designed for 2.5m ppa, was

once a pleasure to travel through and

was rarely congested. It boasted a

large, glass-fronted exterior, while

full air-conditioning kept things cool

inside where there were 12 boarding

gates, four airbridges and 46 check-in

positions. Fifteen immigration booths

and four baggage carousels kept things

humming for inbound passengers, and

the departure lounge accommodated

21 shops, fi ve food and beverage outlets

and three bars. Sadly, all that is a distant

memory for many of us who visited the

island in its heydays.

Irma strikes

During the night of September 6, 2017,

category fi ve Hurricane Irma devastated

much of the Caribbean and St Maarten

was not spared her wrath; in fact, it was

hit hardest of all the islands. The roof was

ripped off the airport’s terminal by 182mph

(293km/h) winds, airbridges were blown

across the apron, fences were torn down,

sand was deposited across the airfi eld

and the runway was fl ooded. Power

was knocked out across the region and

communication networks were destroyed.

In the immediate aftermath, hurricanes

CARIBBEAN

74 // Extreme Airports

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