Royal Delegation Toured unfinished terminal building.
some perspectives and analysis offered in this article;
One of the development Projects scheduled to be visited by the Royal delegation was the Princess Juliana Intentional Airport. To put things in perspective, the Airport was ravaged by Hurricane Irma in 2017 and not until 2021 this project was able to actually get off the ground. That was the information coming out of a statement issued by the Airport, when confirming the tour of the Royal Family to see the construction area and the existing operations of the terminal building.
The walk-through was led by airport CEO, Brian Mingo, Project Director, Mirto Breell and Manager of Operations Z’haria Richardson.
When one consider the length of time it took to finally look forward to the completion, it raises some questions as to how impressive could this project be until it is actually completed and put into operations. It’s been 5 years since the hurricane and the rebuilding project of the Airport only get started in 2021 which means that nothing much happened for about 3 years after the passing of the hurricane; one could imagine what was going through the minds of the Royal Family after they were briefed on the progress so far.
Brian Mingo, CEO of Princess Juliana International Airport, is quoted in the statement as saying, “I am extremely proud to show the Royal Family around the project and share the progress that has been made by the entire team. Rebuilding a live airport is a complex and demanding task, especially with the need to maintain daily operations. The focus he says, is now on the completion of the airport which plays an important role in the economy of St. Maarten”.
Currently, Ballast Nedam International Projects, is rebuilding the new Departure Hall, which the Airport authorities say, will be ready some time before the peak season of 2023; while the completion of the new terminal building is pushed back even further, and is now expected to be finished in the second quarter of 2024.
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