KRALENDIJK – On Monday afternoon, Minister Harbers of Infrastructure and Water Management (I&W) paid a working visit to the airport of Bonaire. The minister met with various employees of Bonaire International Airport (BIA) and was guided by Director Van der Scheer and the entire Supervisory Board.

At the platform for flights to the neighboring islands, attention was given to the joint task of making inter-island traffic more affordable and sustainable.

The minister received an explanation about BIA’s sustainability roadmap, which includes the installation of solar panels, batteries, and charging facilities for ground and air traffic. With the ministry’s assistance, this development could be accelerated, Van der Scheer indicated, emphasizing that affordable inter-island traffic is of great importance to the residents of Bonaire.

“Today, I have been briefed on all the important developments taking place at Flamingo Airport. Aviation is essential for accessibility and connectivity in the Caribbean part of our kingdom, and there are also great opportunities for the future here. With the short distances between the islands, it is an ideal testing ground for sustainable aviation of the future, such as electric aircraft. Perhaps the future of aviation starts here,” said Harbers.

Afterwards, the minister inspected, among other things, the technical condition of the runway lighting and the preparations for its complete replacement. The execution of this project will start soon and will be supervised by Rijkswaterstaat. The ministry is providing a substantial financial contribution to this costly project to ensure that Bonaire remains safely accessible in the future.

Platform

Finally, the minister received an explanation about the platform for the largest aircraft, which will be renovated, expanded, and redesigned in the coming years. For this purpose, the minister signed a Memorandum of Understanding during his previous visit to BIA at the end of 2022, pledging a contribution of 15 million euros to this project. Currently, these plans are being developed, and a detailed design is being created.