Symbolic keys new airport handed over
The Public Entity St. Eustatius received the (symbolic) keys of the new terminal building and the AFISO tower from the contractor Van Boekel Bouw & Infra BV yesterday, Friday, May 28th, 2021. The handover means that as of today the building will be the property of the Public Entity St. Eustatius and will no longer be under the responsibility of the contractor.
Transitions to begin preparing the building for operational activity will start next week. The existing airport terminal building will still be in operation until then. The construction of the airport was financed by the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management.
Delay
Due to unforeseen contractor delays, the transition timeline had to be postponed. A new airport transition timeline is being constructed which means that the previously set operational date of the airport has shifted. The target is now to open by the first week in July 2021.
Terminal
The new airport terminal building measures 1100 square meter roof and 700 square meter inner space. There are a total of four (4) check-in desks, three (3) airline offices, luggage screening and a full pax- and staff airside screening. The waiting area at the gate offers 44 seats and there is a landside bar, an arrival baggage claim roller bed, customs check area, storage rooms, a meeting room and a security & control room.
Tower
The AFISO tower consists of 3 stories and is 136 square meter. The cabin has a 360-degree view and functions as an operational room for flight and airside safety and for communication purposes.
The project was contracted to a Dutch company Van Boekel Bouw & Infra BV. The company brought many specialists from Holland such as mechanical and electrical engineers. However, the concrete and most of the other responsibilities such as painting etc. are handled by local staff. The main contactor also hired 4 local contractors to carry out specialists’ work.
The existing airport was fairly damaged due to hurricane Irma in 2017. Also due to the average lifespan of an airport, a development programme to renew the St. Eustatius Franklin Delano Roosevelt Airport facilities started in 2017.
