Princess Juliana International Airport - also known as Saint Maarten International Airport - serves the Dutch part of the island of Sint Maarten. The airport serves as a hub for Windward Islands Airways and is the major gateway for the smaller Leeward Islands, including Anguilla, Saba, St. Barthélemy and St. Eustatius. It is named after Juliana of the Netherlands, who as crown princess landed here in 1944, the year after the airport opened. There is also an airport on the French side of the island, called Aéroport de Grand Case or L'Espérance Airport.
Minister of Justice, Roland Duncan and Deputy Prime Minister Theo Heyliger are undertaking plans to create a hub for Anguilla and St. Barths by placing both Anguillan and French official immigration officers in order to facilitate travel to these areas.
The airport was started as a military airstrip in 1942. It was converted to a civilian airport in 1943. In 1964 the airport was remodeled and relocated, with a new terminal building and control tower. The facilities were upgraded in 1985 and 2001.
