PJIAE past arrival numbers and best- and worst-case forecasts for 2021-2024.
AIRPORT--The number of passengers arriving at Princess Juliana International Airport (PJIA) in 2021 may be as high as 53 per cent compared to 2019’s arrivals, according to a recent multi-year forecast released by PJIA operating company PJIAE.
The multi-year forecast outlines best- and worst-case scenarios for 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024. The figures were pegged to the 2019 arrival numbers.
The 53 per cent figure for 2021 is PJIAE’s best-case scenario. Considering that 2019 saw almost 720,000 passengers make their way through the airport’s arrival gates, this translates to approximately 381,600 arriving passengers this year.
However, the worst-case scenario envisioned by PJIAE this year sees arrival numbers hit 37 per cent of the 2019 numbers, or roughly 266,400 passengers.
PJIAE predicts steadily increasing arrivals until 2024, a year that is expected to see the airport return to 100 per cent arrivals in the best-case and 97 per cent in the worst-case scenarios.
PJIAE forecasts some 69 per cent arrivals in 2022 in the best-case and 58 per cent in the worst-case scenarios, while in 2023 there is expected to be 82 and 76 per cent in the best and worst cases, respectively.
“Our tourist product is being challenged with low travel numbers, outbreaks in Europe and the USA [United States of America – Ed.] and new test requirements for outgoing travellers. The airport today has only recovered its business to a mere 35 per cent compared to 2019. … With the changing global situations of new cases in Europe and instability in the USA, this [year’s numbers] can become lower, as you see in the worst case.
“We are still on life support, needing cash support every month to meet our obligations. This is where we are today. The airport is not yet out of the woods. Not only must we keep our focus on the big picture, but also on the business plan itself, which has changed now on at least two occasions to accommodate the uncertainties and loss of revenue because of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said PJIAE chief executive officer (CEO) Brian Mingo.
