Queen Beatrix International Airport

Queen Beatrix International Airport (Dutch: Internationale luchthaven Koningin Beatrix; Papiamento: Aeropuerto Internacional Reina Beatrix), colloquially known as Aruba Airport (IATA: AUA, ICAO: TNCA), is an international airport located in Oranjestad, Aruba. It has flight services to the United States, several countries in the Caribbean, the northern coastal countries of South America, Canada, as well as some parts of Europe, notably the Netherlands. It is named after Beatrix of the Netherlands, who was Queen of the Netherlands from 1980 to 2013.

Queen Beatrix
International Airport

Internationale luchthaven
Koningin Beatrix
Aeropuerto Internacional
Reina Beatrix
Summary
Airport typePublic
OwnerAruba Airport Authority N.V.
LocationOranjestad, Aruba
Hub forAruba Airlines
Elevation AMSL60 ft / 18 m
Coordinates12°30′05″N 70°00′55″W
Websiteairportaruba.com
Map
AUA 
Location in Aruba
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
11/29 2,743 8,999 Asphalt
Source: DAFIF[1]

Overview

The airport offers United States border preclearance facilities. A terminal for private aircraft opened in 2007. The airport used to serve as the hub for bankrupt airline Air Aruba, which was for many years an international airline. Before Aruba's separation from the Netherlands Antilles in 1986 it was also one of three hubs for ALM Antillean Airlines as well as a home base for Tiara Air until 2016.

Since 2013 the airport is home to Aruba Airlines, a local airline. The airline has three Airbus A320 family aircraft and two Bombardier CRJ200. The main focus of Aruba Airlines is connecting the region through its hub.

History

In 1934, Manuel Viana launched a weekly mail and passenger service between Aruba and Curacao, with A.J. Viccellio piloting Loening C-2H Air Yacht PJ-ZAA from a mud-flat runway. Commercial services were taken over by KLM from 24 December 1934. Later they were transferred to a graded runway known as the KLM field.[2]

During World War II the airport was used by the United States Army Air Forces Sixth Air Force defending Caribbean shipping and the Panama Canal against German submarines. The airfield was renamed Dakota Field; the terminal facilities became Dakota Airport.[2] Flying units assigned to the airfield were:

On 22 October 1955, the airport was named after Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands during a royal visit. It was renamed in 1980 after her accession to the throne.[2]

Airlines and destinations
A Delta 737-800 bound for Atlanta parked at gate 4
The air traffic control tower
The baggage claim area
The non-USA departures building
Walkway to security and US pre-clearance facilities

Passenger
AirlinesDestinations
Air Canada Toronto–Pearson
Air Century Santo Domingo–La Isabela
Albatros Airlines Las Piedras
American Airlines Charlotte, Dallas/Fort Worth, Miami, New York–LaGuardia, Philadelphia
Seasonal: Chicago–O'Hare
Aruba Airlines Barranquilla, Bonaire, Curaçao, Medellin–JMC, Riohacha
Avianca Bogotá
Copa Airlines Panama City–Tocumen
Copa Airlines Colombia Panama City–Tocumen
Delta Air Lines Atlanta, New York–JFK
Seasonal: Boston, Minneapolis/St. Paul
Divi Divi Air Curaçao
Charter: Bonaire
EZAir Bonaire, Curaçao
JetBlue Boston, Fort Lauderdale, Newark, New York–JFK
KLM Amsterdam1
Sky High Aviation Services Santo Domingo–Las Américas
Southwest Airlines Baltimore
Spirit Airlines Fort Lauderdale
Sun Country Airlines Seasonal: Minneapolis/St. Paul
Surinam Airways Miami, Paramaribo
TUI Airways Seasonal: London–Gatwick
TUI fly Netherlands Amsterdam3
United Airlines Chicago–O'Hare, Houston–Intercontinental, Newark
Seasonal: Washington–Dulles
WestJet Toronto–Pearson
Winair Curaçao, St. Maarten4
Wingo Bogotá
Notes
  • ^1 KLM's flights operate to and from Bonaire on selected days.
  • ^2 TUI fly Belgium's flights operate from Brussels to Aruba via Santo Domingo. However, the airline does not have cabotage rights to transport passengers solely between Aruba and Santo Domingo.
  • ^3 TUI Airlines Netherlands's flights operate between Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao on selected days. However, the airline does not have fifth freedom rights to transport passengers solely between Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao.
  • ^4 Winair's flights operate between Aruba and Sint Maarten via Curacao selected days.

Cargo
AirlinesDestinations
AerCaribe Bogotá
AeroSucre Bogotá
Ameriflight Aguadilla, San Juan
Amerijet International Miami, Santiago de los Caballeros, Santo Domingo–Las Américas
DHL Aero Expreso Panama City
Liñeas Aereas Suramericanas Bogota
Vensecar InternacionalCuracao, Panama City, Santo Domingo–Las Américas

Statistics
Busiest US routes from Aruba (2009–2010)
Rank Airport Passengers Carriers
1
 New York–JFK, New York
237,498
 Delta Air Lines, JetBlue
2
 Miami, Florida
209,364
 American Airlines
3
 Newark, New Jersey
145,448
 United Airlines
4
 Atlanta, Georgia
139,547
 Delta Air Lines
5
 Charlotte, North Carolina
120,362
 American Airlines
6
 Boston, MA
113,910
 JetBlue
7
 Philadelphia, PA
67,993
 American Airlines
8
 Washington–Dulles, VA
27,477
 United Airlines
9
 Chicago–O'Hare, Illinois
18,362
 United Airlines, American Airlines
10
 Houston–Intercontinental, TX
15,727
 United Airlines

Accidents and incidents
  • On January 13, 2010, an Arkefly Boeing 767-300 with the registration of PH-AHQ, was operating on flight 361 from Amsterdam Schiphol Airport to Queen Beatrix International Airport declared an emergency after a man who claimed to have a bomb on board ensued a struggle with the flight crew, the aircraft made an emergency Landing at Shannon Airport. Gardaí stormed the plane and arrested the man, where he was taken to Shannon Garda station. A passenger having had surgery earlier the month before collapsed in the terminal while waiting for the continuation of the flight and had to be taken to a local hospital. The replacement aircraft PH-AHY, also a Boeing 767-300, continued the flight to Aruba.

See also

References

Citations
  1. Airport information for TNCA at World Aero Data. Data current as of October 2006.
  2. "Airport History". Retrieved 16 September 2017.

Bibliography

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/.

Media related to Queen Beatrix International Airport at Wikimedia Commons

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