St Lucia: Royal Schiphol Group on familiarization visit to SXM Airport

Top officials of the Royal Schiphol Group arrived at the Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM), on Monday January 28, 2019 for a familiarization visit. The Royal Schiphol Group is the owner and operator of the Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, Rotterdam, The Hague Airport and Lelystad Airport. The group also holds the majority stake in Eindhoven Airport.

Chief Executive Officer, Brian Mingo and Chief Operating Officer, Michel Hyman, of the Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM), Managing Board, gave the Director of Schiphol International Airport, Roel Hellemons and Chief Financial Officer of the Royal Schiphol Group, Jabine van der Meijs, a tour of the airport facilities. Also participating in the tour was a delegation that included the newly-appointed Director of the Recovery Trust Fund, Claret Connor, and members of the Ministry of Interior and Kingdom Affairs, BZK.

The walk-through tour offered an internal look at the Departure and Arrival halls (the "Package One – Temporary Operations"), on the ground floor of the terminal building. The delegation also received a close-up look at the ongoing roof works and the installation of the riverclack sheets, as part of the Phase two of the Roofing Project. The delegation was also briefed about the upcoming Phase Two remediation of the former Departure Hall in the upper level area of the terminal building. They were given an exclusive tour of the area, whereby members of the Project Management Team were made available to answer questions about the planning development.

The Royal Schiphol Group delegation noted in their first impression that the overall frame and structure of the terminal building was still intact. The duo remarked that SXM Airport made use of the correct avenues to accommodate the existing traffic flow. "Our visit to St. Maarten and the walkthrough tour of the airport terminal, have been very useful for us. We experienced a warm welcome from the entire airport team but also saw the huge damage that hurricane Irma has caused to a very beautiful and modern terminal building. We were impressed by the creative temporary solutions that the airport team has managed to find to facilitate the Departure and Arrival processes. We also realize that a lot needs to be done to get the whole terminal back into operation. We would very much like to support the airport management team with this big task where necessary and possible, by bringing the expertise we have as an experienced international airport operator," stated the Director of Schiphol International Airport, Roel Hellemons.

"The purpose of the visit was to introduce Schiphol to PJIAE and our shareholders and to give them a tour of the situation of our airport. To have the Royal Schiphol Group assist the Princess Juliana International Airport and St. Maarten to restore its airport will become the next steps," stated Brian Mingo. "When we merge our 75 years of experience with the resources from the Royal Schiphol Group who has over 175 years of experience, the Princess Juliana International Airport can only benefit from this collaborative effort. Schiphol also manages the Reina Beatrix International Airport in Oranjestad, Aruba, John F. Kennedy International Airport and other international airports."

The engagement with SXM Airport at first will be a review of the organization and the current "Package One – Temporary Operations" of the terminal building. The safety and quality aspects will be reviewed to ensure continuity and quality of the existing operations.

"After sixteen (16) months following hurricanes Irma and Maria, SXM Airport still has a long way to go, to reconstruct its existing terminal building. Funding and the actual project planning are yet to be completed but are essential for a successful result. Schiphol will also play an important role in the reconstruction phase," Mingo concluded.

The Royal Schiphol Group manages approximately 2000 employees in a variety of specialized fields. The company is also known for its award-winning "Airport City" concept which encompasses real estate, logistics and airport concessions within the airport area.