Airport:--- Dignitaries from both sides of the island including Anguilla attended the opening ceremony of the renovated departure lounge at the Princess Juliana International Airport on Wednesday evening. Special Projects Coordinator Robert Brown gave an outline to the large gathering how management of PJIAE decided to upgrade the airport beginning with the departure lounge. He said the idea came from the managing director Regina Labega shortly after she took up her post at PJIAE. With that initiative he said several studies were conducted and all the reports concluded that with a modern departure hall PJIAE will indeed better service its passengers, while bringing in more businesses to the vendors and the airport. Brown said Labega brought out the best in them, they managed to do things that they did not think they had the ability to do. He however, did not forget to mention the challenges the airport spent and how many contractors, subcontractors and other professionals worked on getting the job done which could only be done at nights.
Brown said right now passengers are more comfortable, they have more shops at the departure hall which allows them to make their last minute shopping before boarding.
Managing Director Regina Labega in her speech spoke of how one passenger expressed his experience while travelling through St. Maarten to his final destination Dominica, the satisfied customer gave break down in his email how many passengers use PJIAE as an in-transit airport to get to Dominica and he felt that PJIAE (SXM) should be renamed to Dominica’s Airport.
Labega said the departure lounge is just the first part of the project which is aimed at enhancing the airport to further satisfy its passengers, making the airport friendly and which would also increase business in several ways for PJIAE. She said the airport already broke ground for the cargo building and they are hoping to begin work with the Fixed Based Operations (FBO) soon.
Other speakers include Minister of Economic Affairs Claret Connor, and Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs who stressed that PJIAE should focus on building an in-transit hall because he got correspondence where people had to return from where they came because there is no in-transit hall at PJIAE.
In a video-taped message John Kasarda, Director Center for Air Commerce.UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School said that the plans SXM has for its airport will bring the airport among the highest ranked airport since SXM is the hub for the Caribbean, North America and Europe.
Apart from the speeches management of PJIAE had some wonderful display for those that attended the opening ceremony, students from the Charlotte Brookson Academy performed for the audience. The official ribbon cutting was done by Minister of Economic Affairs Claret Conner and Clara Conner, while Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs assisted in making sure the ribbon were properly cut and distributed. Those that attended the ceremony were members of the board of directors, Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs, Deputy Prime Minister Dennis Richardson, MP Cornelius de Weever, MP Theodore Heyliger, and MP Frans Richardson Acting Governor Reynold Groenveldt, dignitaries from the French side Senator Daniel Gibbs and Guillaume Arnel, Territorial Councilor Louis Fleming and Ramona Connor.
Click here to view photos of the opening ceremony of the renovated departure lounge of PJIAE
