Simpson Bay, St. Maarten – Demolition works started on Monday, January 29, 2018 at the Princess Juliana International Airport, SXM, when the honorable Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transportation and Telecommunications (TEATT), Cornelius De Weever swung a sledge hammer to symbolize the beginning of work that includes the removal of the interior walls and fixtures of the terminal building which suffered severe damages at the hands of the category 5 Hurricane Irma. Operations at the terminal building had to be moved to the airside when the airport reopened for commercial flights on October 10, 2017.
“As the demolition begins and a new page in history is being added, we can be proud of the reconstruction and redesign of our airport that is about to begin,” said the Honorable Cornelius De Weever, Minister of TEATT. According to the Management Team of the airport, the structure of the terminal building held up firmly during the hurricane so that will go untouched in the reconstruction works. In the preceding week, a cleanup was carried out.
The water removal process is still ongoing in line with the demolition works of the interior of the terminal building. During the demolition, a mold assessment will be conducted to determine if further mold remediation is necessary.
The demolition of the interior of the terminal building signals the start of the process before the reconstruction, explained the Managing Board of the Princess Juliana International Airport.
“We have all been waiting for this moment eagerly so that the terminal building can be rebuilt and restored to its former glory as soon as possible. “We apologize for the temporary inconvenience passengers and all our users and stakeholders have had to endure, and urge everyone to continue to exercise a little more patience as we push
forward with returning the airport to the high standards everyone has come to expect of it,” said the COO of the PJIA, Michel Hyman. Also present at the symbolic ceremony was the Management of Commodore N.V. who will be carrying out the demolition works.
