Even though an ongoing dispute regarding the insurance claim of Princess Juliana International Airport (PJIA) appears anything but resolved, today’s report that government is making efforts to get the country back into Category 1 of the International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) is most welcome (see related story). Member of Parliament (MP) Rolando Brison had asked questions on the issue during the 2018 budget debate earlier this month.
The airports of both St. Maarten and Curaçao were downgraded by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in January 2012, based primarily on shortcomings at the (ex-Antillean) Civil Aviation Department on the latter island. This meant their airlines could no longer initiate service to American territory and excluded code-sharing agreements that are important to PJIA’s hub function.
To regain its status when still part of the – no longer existent – Netherlands Antilles, St. Maarten must comply with International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) standards. That requires legislative changes and establishing a licensing division.
Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication (TEATT) Cornelius de Weever spoke of a transition period during which the renewal of pilot licences is being taken over from Curaçao. He said all other related certificates are already issued locally and the validations now also take place on-island.
Some may wonder what the hurry is, as the current temporary airport facilities hardly allow many new flights from “national carriers” that could make a big difference in terms of getting more visitors from the US market. Prime Minister Leona Romeo-Marlin recently said reconstruction of the terminal will start after the upcoming hurricane season, so it probably won’t be completed until late 2019.
However, considering that the downgrading occurred more than six years ago, one would have to conclude that this matter has already taken quite a while and there’s no time to lose. Both the planned pre-clearance for American Immigration and Customs as well as re-obtaining Category 1 status must continue to be worked on unabatedly so they are firmly in place when PJIA is restored to its former glory.
