FLAMINGO AIRPORT ASSISTANCE

History Flamingo International Airport

Bonaire's first airport was located near Tra'i Montaña near Subi Blanku and crossed the current road from Kralendijk to Rincon. It was only a landing strip and a shelter. It was built in 1936 and is considered the location of the beginning of aviation on Bonaire.

The construction work for this airport began on September 23, 1935. The intention was to make a longer runway, but it proved impossible to construct more than 475 meters because the eastern portion of the land

was very low. Part of the field had to be modified, in particular where aircraft met or left the ground during landing and take-off. This area covered more than 100 metres of the runway, and had to be paved with a mixture of sand and stone.

KLM decided on May 9, 1936, to route-test the first flight to Bonaire from Curaçao. The Oriol (Fokker F-XVIII "Snip"), was chosen for this test. The first experimental landing was successful and also a historic moment. KLM made the first official flight with passengers on May 31, 1936.

American soldiers arrived on Bonaire in the second half of 1943 and their commander stated that a new airport had to be built. In December 1943, construction began in the vicinity of where the airport is today. The new airport, named "Flamingo Airport", was put into use in 1945. This was a big step forward for Bonaire and its aviation. A small terminal was built that was suitable for the number of passengers at the time. This building was used until 1976.

Airport information and facilities Flamingo International Airport

Overview:The first Bonaire-Miami flight took place on April 19, 1980, which was permitted due to the runway extension of that year. The current runway of 2880m is long enough for flights to Europe with a maximum take-off weight. KLM began with flights to Peru and later to Ecuador with a fuel stop on Bonaire in 2002. In recent years, the facilities at the airport have been modernized and expanded. There is a new departure hall, a new platform for wide body aircraft and a fuel farm. As of 2009,

Flamingo Airport is a full service stop for transit flights and the destination for many tourist flights, with air-conditioned offices, a restaurant, a departure hall and stores.

The airport registered a more than 10% increase in passengers in the first quarter of 2008. The increase has much to do with the Delta and Continental Airlines flights. Compared to the same period last year also the local passengers increased by 10.6%. International traffic increased by 8.8% which is breakthrough for the airport.

Since November 2005, visitors and tourists arriving at Bonaire are welcomed to a vibrant new Business and Tourism Showcase. A variety of colorful murals, vivid flat-panel displays, and high-profile sponsored windsurfing sails will showcase all that the island of Bonaire has to offer. Pennsylvania-based Interspace Airport Advertising, through its subsidiary, Interspace Airport Advertising Curaçao, N.V., created the new terminal-wide advertising display program. Interspace will also manage the program through a 10-year partnership with the airport authority.

In the past, the airport has been served by Air ABC, Air ALM, Air Aruba, Air Europe (Italy), Air Jamaica, American Eagle (Executive Airlines), Avensa, Avior Airlines, BonAir/Chapi Air, Bonaire Express/Curaçao Express (later Dutch Antilles Express), Canada 3000, Cats Air, Dutch Caribbean Airlines, E-Liner Airways, Insel Air, Kavok Airlines, LASER Airlines, Línea Turística Aereotuy, Martinair, Miami Air International, Rainbow Air, Royal Aruban Airlines, Servivensa, Sobelair, Surinam Airways (currently operates seasonal charters), Tiara Air and Transaven.

Parking system and charges:In May 2008, the parking places at Flamingo Airport were renovated. The airport introduced short and long-term paid parking. Financial manager Gerard Chin-A-Lien indicated that the project will cost US$2.1 million. Most of this money will be spent on paving, installing the automatic parking system, landscaping, and lighting. This service officially started on 5 September 2008. It is not possible to drop off passengers for free since August 2009 as you have to pay 1 guilder for the first 30 minutes and 1 guilder for each 30 minutes after that with a maximum of 20 guilders per day. Long parking costs 10 guilders per day. According to security manager Tico Wanga, a lot of attention is paid to safety with sufficient lights and cameras everywhere, and patrolling security personne

Check-in system and airport tax fee Flamingo International Airport

Check-in system and airport tax fee Flamingo International Airport

In October 2008, Bonaire introduced a Common Use Terminal Equipment system from SITA. This is a common use system whereby all airlines can use each of the 12 available check-in counters at Flamingo Airport. More flexibility is obtained while the processing capacity of passengers at the check-in counters is increased and made more efficient. The older check-in system worked with so-called dedicated check-in counters which were usable by only one particular airline and could not be used by other airlines, thus restricting processing capacity.

Due to the introduction of this new system, Bonaire International Airport began charging each departing passenger a service charge, starting December 1, 2008. This service charge amounts to 3.00 guilders (about US$1.69) and is added to the existing passenger facility charge (airport tax) As of October 2010, all airport taxes have been integrated within all purchased tickets for all airlines.

Plans Flamingo International Airport

It is planned to expand the current airport building, including the current arrival and departure hall, as more airlines and tourists come to Bonaire. It is also planned to repair the airport's runway after certain speculations that the runway had a crack in it. The Dutch Transport Minister, Camiel Eurlings, calculates that it will cost about €20 million (57 million guilders) to repair the airport's worn-out runway.

The management of the airport is drawing up a master plan to comply with international requirements. There are three important projects planned which include:

Maintenance and complete renovation of the runway, as mentioned above (completed in 2011),

Moving the fire station to the middle of the runway (completed in 2016),

Purchasing two push-back cars for the heavy jets (One already purchased and in-use with KLM flights)

In 2008, Bonaire International Airport began realizing its 15-year master plan, which was adopted by the island government in 2009, and Phase 1 (complete runway renovation) was completed in 2011. Phase 2A included the construction of a new Air Traffic Control Tower, which is now completed. Phase 2B will bring a new apron and two taxiways to the runway. Phase 3 will be a new passenger terminal. Phases 2B and 3 are planned to be conducted simultaneously. Currently, additional scenarios are also being reviewed.

Although a new passenger terminal and apron were in plans to be built, the airport has opted to work on the current building by expanding the departure hall due to the growth in passenger movements in recent years. The current departure hall will be almost doubled in size to handle 500 instead of 300 passengers per hour. Although work is being done on the departure hall only, plans include expansion of the arrival as well, depending on the airport's ability to be able to pay for the expenses.

Catering Flamingo International Airport

Apart from the passenger terminal Bonaire Airport has facilities for freight and mail. Catering is available since Goddard Catering opened an airline kitchen on the island in 2003 offering complete airline catering. The Aruba kitchen uses ready-made imported frozen hot meals and locally made salads and appetizers. Since March 31, 2015, Goddard Catering has closed down its operations in Bonaire as KLM made a decision to move all of its catering services to Aruba.

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