ABOUT ST. MAARTEN
St. Maarten-Saint Martin is the smallest landmass in the world to be shared by two different nations. Christopher Columbus sighted the island on November 11, 1493, and named it after St. Martin, Bishop of Tours. Initially disregarded as unpromising, the island changed hands among the Dutch, the French, and the Spanish.
 
The French and Dutch finally split the island in 1648—the French got the largest part and called it Saint Martin; the Dutch made their half – St. Maarten- part of the Netherlands Antilles, which is a country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
 
Though they live on an island that is Dutch and French, all inhabitants speak predominantly English. There is no physical border between the two sides; just monuments and signs at each crossing.
 
The island is considered an almost perfect holiday environment; beaches are pristine and spectacular, shopping and dining rank among the best in the Caribbean.
 
St. Maarten has the endearing adage of being “The Friendly Island.” Annually some 1.5 million cruise ship passengers visit the island. Princess Juliana International Airport handled over 1.7 million passengers in 2008.
 
The island’s inhabitants come from no less than 103 different countries; many first-time visitors find themselves becoming return visitors or permanent residents. This tendency is contributing to a new emerging identity of the island. St. Maarten is a duty-free territory.
 
The island's official currency is the Antillean guilder, but the American dollar is extensively used. The exchange rate between the two currencies is fixed.
 
One American dollar can be converted in 1.78 Antillean guilders. By its affiliation with the Netherlands Antilles, St. Maarten is part of a Parliamentary Democracy. The Lieutenant Governor is the Chairperson of the Executive Council and represents the Queen of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
 
Executive power is vested in the Executive Council consisting of five commissioners. Following a referendum on June 23, 2000, in which the majority of the electorate voted for a change in St. Maarten’s constitutional status, the Dutch side is on its way to become a country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, as such terminating its ties with the Netherlands Antilles.

ABOUT PJIAE AIRPORT
Princess Juliana International Airport (PJIA) is the airport of St. Maarten, the smallest landmass in the world to be shared by two different nations. The northern side of the island is a French overseas territory called Saint Martin; the southern side –St. Maarten- is an island territory of the Netherlands Antilles, a country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
 
The airport is operated by Princess Juliana International Airport Operating Company (PJIAE) NV, a limited liability company, wholly owned by PJIA Holding N.V. which in turn is fully owned by the Island Government of the Island Territory of St. Maarten.
 
It is one of the busiest airports in the northeastern Caribbean, a regional leader in aviation that plays a vital role as St. Maarten’s single most strategic economic asset. As the main hub that feeds the surrounding islands of Saba, St. Eustatius, St. Barths and Anguilla, PJIA daily channels thousands of sun-seekers on their way to a fun Caribbean vacation.
 
PJIA caters to an average of 1.7 million passengers annually and approximately 200 scheduled and charter flights a day from the Caribbean, Europe, North, Central and South America. A catalyst of continuous growth in the region, PJIAE commissioned a new terminal building in November 2006.
 
Spanning 30,500 square meters, the four-level ultra-modern facility is fully air-conditioned. It features 46 airline check-in counters with Common Use Terminal Equipment (CUTE) and 11 gates -four of which with jet bridges.
 
The airport also features an exciting duty free retail section and boasts of gastro outlets that sell a wide range of local and international cuisine.