Queen Beatrix International Airport

Queen Beatrix International Airport Internationale luchthaven Koningin Beatrix Aeropuerto Internacional Reina Beatrix
IATA: AUA ICAO: TNCA
Summary
Airport type	Public
Owner	Aruba Airport Authority N.V.
Location	Oranjestad, Aruba
Hub for	Aruba Airlines
Elevation AMSL	60 ft / 18 m
Coordinates	12°30′05″N 70°00′55″W
Website	airportaruba.com
Map
AUA  Location in Aruba
Runways
Direction Length Surface m ft 11/29 2,743 8,999 Asphalt
Source: DAFIF

Queen Beatrix International Airport (IATA: AUA, ICAO: TNCA) (Dutch: Internationale luchthaven Koningin Beatrix; Papiamento: Aeropuerto Internacional Reina Beatrix), is an international airport located in Oranjestad, Aruba. It has flight services to the United States, Trinidad and Tobago, most countries in the Caribbean, the northern coastal countries of South America, Canada, and some parts of Europe, notably the Netherlands. It is named after Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands, the now-retired Queen and former head of state of Aruba.

Overview

The airport offers US Border Pre-clearance facilities. A terminal for private aircraft opened in 2007. This airport used to serve as the hub for bankrupt airline Air Aruba, which was for many years an international airline. Before Aruba's separation from the Netherlands Antilles in 1986 it was also one of three hubs for Air ALM.

History

In 1934, Manuel Viana launched a weekly mail and passenger service between Aruba and Curacao, with A.J. Viccellio piloting Loening C-2H Air Yacht PJ-ZAA from a mud-flat runway. Commercial services were taken over by KLM from December 24, 1934, and later transferred to a graded runway known as KLM field.

During World War II the airport was used by the United States Army Air Forces Sixth Air Force defending Caribbean shipping and the Panama Canal against German submarines. The airfield was renamed Dakota Field, and the terminal facilities became Dakota Airport. Flying units assigned to the airfield were:

• 59th Bombardment Squadron (9th Bombardment Group) 14 January-24 September 1942 (A-20 Havoc)
• 12th Bombardment Squadron (25th Bombardment Group) 10 October 1942 – 23 November 1943 (B-18 Bolo)
• 22d Fighter Squadron (36th Fighter Group) 2 September 1942 – April 1943 (P-40 Warhawk)
• 32d Fighter Squadron (Antilles Air Command) 9 March 1943 – March 1944 (P-40 Warhawk)

On 22 October 1955, the airport was named after Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands during a royal visit, and was renamed in 1980 after her accession to the throne.

Airlines and destinations

A Delta 737-800 bound for Atlanta parked at gate 4

The air traffic control tower

The baggage claim area

The non-USA departures building

Delta Airlines ticketing counters

Walkway to security and US pre-clearance facilities

Passenger

Airlines	Destinations
Air Canada	Toronto–Pearson
Albatros Airlines	Las Piedras
American Airlines	Charlotte, Miami, Philadelphia
Aruba Airlines	Curaçao (resumes 23 October 2017), Georgetown, Havana, Maracaibo, Miami, Port of Spain
Aruba Airlines operated by Turpial Airlines	Valencia (VE)
Aserca Airlines	Caracas
Avianca	Bogotá
Avior Airlines	Valencia (VE)
Copa Airlines	Panama City
Delta Air Lines	Atlanta, New York-JFK Seasonal: Minneapolis/St. Paul (begins December 23, 2017)
Insel Air	Curaçao
JetBlue Airways	Boston, Fort Lauderdale, New York–JFK
KLM	Amsterdam
LATAM Colombia	Bogotá
LASER Airlines	Caracas, Maracaibo
PAWA Dominicana	Santo Domingo-Las Americas
Sky High Aviation Services	Riohacha
Southwest Airlines	Baltimore, Fort Lauderdale (begins March 8, 2018), Houston–Hobby, Orlando (ends March 7, 2018)
Spirit Airlines	Fort Lauderdale
Sun Country Airlines	Seasonal: Minneapolis/St. Paul (begins December 23, 2017)
Sunwing Airlines	Toronto–Pearson Seasonal: Montréal-Trudeau
Surinam Airways	Miami, Paramaribo Seasonal: Orlando/Sanford
Thomas Cook Airlines Scandinavia	Seasonal charter: Stockholm–Arlanda
Thomson Airways	Seasonal: London–Gatwick, Manchester
TUI fly Netherlands	Amsterdam
United Airlines	Chicago–O'Hare, Houston–Intercontinental, Newark Seasonal: Washington-Dulles
WestJet	Toronto–Pearson
Wingo	Bogotá

Notes

• ^1 KLM's flights operate to and from Bonaire on selected days. However, the airline does not have fifth freedom rights to transport passengers solely between Aruba and Bonaire.
• ^2 PAWA Dominicana's flights operate to and from Curacao. However, the airline does not have fifth freedom rights to transport passengers solely between Aruba and Curacao.
• ^3 TUI Airlines Netherlands's flights operate between Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao on selected days. However, the airline does not have fifth freedom rights to transport passengers solely between Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao.

Cargo

Airlines	Destinations
Ameriflight	Aguadilla, San Juan
Amerijet International	Miami, Santiago de los Caballeros, Santo Domingo–Las Américas
DHL Aero Expreso	Panama City
Líneas Aéreas Suramericanas	Bogotá
PAWA Dominicana	Santo Domingo/Punta Caucedo

Statistics

Busiest US routes from Aruba (2009–2010)

Rank	Airport	Passengers	Carriers
1	New York (JFK), New York	237,498	Delta Air Lines, JetBlue
2	Miami, Florida	209,364	American Airlines
3	Newark, New Jersey	145,448	United Airlines
4	Atlanta, Georgia	139,547	Delta Air Lines
5	Charlotte, North Carolina	120,362	US Airways
6	Boston, MA	113,910	JetBlue
7	Philadelphia, PA	67,993	American Airlines
8	Washington (Dulles), VA	27,477	United Airlines
9	Chicago (O'Hare), Illinois	18,362	United Airlines
10	Houston, TX (Bush)	15,727	Continental Airlines

Accidents and incidents

• On January 13, 2010, an Arkefly Boeing 767-300 with the registration of PH-AHQ, was operating on flight 361 from Amsterdam Schiphol Airport to Queen Beatrix International Airport declared an emergency after a man who claimed to have a bomb on board ensued a struggle with the flight crew, the aircraft made an emergency Landing at Shannon Airport. Gardaí stormed the plane and arrested the man, where he was taken to Shannon Garda station. A passenger having had surgery earlier the month before collapsed in the terminal while waiting for the continuation of the flight and had to be taken to a local hospital. The replacement aircraft PH-AHY also a Boeing 767-300 continued the flight to Aruba.

See also

• Trams in Oranjestad

References

Bibliography

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/.

• Maurer Maurer (1 January 1982). Air Force Combat Units of World War II: History and Insignia. Zenger Publishing Company, Incorporated. ISBN 978-0-89201-092-9. 
• Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1982) [1969]. Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-405-12194-6. LCCN 70605402. OCLC 72556. 

External links

Media related to Queen Beatrix International Airport at Wikimedia Commons

• Official Website
• Current weather for TNCA at NOAA/NWS
• Accident history for AUA at Aviation Safety Network