A runway by the beach
The airport began life in 1943 as a military airstrip during World War II and opened to civil flights a year later. It was named after Princess Juliana of the Netherlands, who landed here that year. As tourism on Sint Maarten and its French neighbour Saint-Martin grew, the runway and terminal expanded, but the geography stayed the same: a lagoon on one side, the sea on the other and Maho Beach right at the end of runway 10.
What you’ll see on the live cams
Most of the time the cams show a relaxed Caribbean beach scene. Then an aircraft appears over the turquoise water and the crowd on the sand looks up. Regional Winair turboprops and US narrowbodies arrive throughout the day, while the highlights are the widebody flights from Europe. After Hurricane Irma in 2017 the terminal was badly damaged and rebuilt, and the cams were among the first to show traffic returning.
Runway and approach
SXM has a single runway, 10/28. Thanks to the steady easterly trade winds, almost every arrival lands on runway 10, crossing Maho Beach on short final. Departures take off in the same direction towards the hills, then turn sharply. When the wind is unusual, aircraft land on runway 28 from the other end and the beach scene is quiet.
Best times to watch
- 11:00–15:00 local time: most arrivals from North America and Europe.
- Saturdays, December to April: the busiest days of the year.
- Late afternoon: departures heading back north, with warm light on the beach.
