KRALENDIJK – Maarten van der Scheer, CEO of Bonaire International Airport (BIA), observes a healthy and ongoing growth in the number of flights and passengers at the airport, especially concerning North American destinations.

According to Van Der Scheer, the favorable outcome can be attributed to the productive collaboration with other partners in the tourism sector.

“Our joint efforts to attract more air traffic from North America have yielded very good results. Even in a highly competitive environment, we have managed to increase these numbers in line with the Strategic Tourism Plan,” said the airport director during the first Quarterly Tourism Update which took place last week.

Van der Scheer reported that the total number of passengers at Flamingo Airport increased by 6.8% in the first quarter compared to the same period a year ago. The number of international passengers increased by 7.8%, while interisland passengers grew by 4.3%.

Improvements

Van der Scheer also noted he felt proud of the recent installation of a new canopy at the airport to shelter arriving passengers from the elements. But more improvements are in store.

“This year, we plan to execute various improvement projects, including the construction of a solar park, the implementation of the new lighting system at the airport, and the installation of new security pathways.”