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Flamingo Airport
Airport Directory » Netherlands Antilles » Bonaire » Flamingo AirportCoordinates: 12°07′51″N 068°16′06″W / 12.13083°N 68.26833°W / 12.13083; -68.26833
Flamingo International Airport or Bonaire International Airport (IATA: BON, ICAO: TNCB) is an international airport turn up at Kralendijk, Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles. Flamingo Airport assists as a link up point for voyages of KLM to some destinations in South America. It one time assisted as a hub for BonaireExel, BonaireExpress,CuraçaoExel, CuraçaoExpress and currently assists Dutch Antilles Express as its secondary hub and also "EZAir" assists Bonaire as its briny air hose, although the air hose itself is ground at Curaçao.
It is the 3rd biggest airport in the Netherlands Antilles behind St.Maarten's Princess Juliana International Airport and Curaçao's Hato International Airport and is the fourth biggest between the islands of the Dutch Kingdom behind the already bring up St. Maarten, Curaçao and Aruba's Queen Beatrix International Airport. Arkefly, Continental, Delta and KLM are now the biggest air hose operators that function voyages to Bonaire.
The airport is big enough to adapt most international widebody airliners such as the Boeing 747, the Boeing 777 and the Airbus A340, although the biggest widebody type to function to Bonaire currently is the MD11. It is able to also adapt medium sized aircraft such as the Boeing 737 and Airbus A310 as good as little aircraft such as the de Havilland Dash 8, ATR 42 and other such turbo-propeller plane aircraft.
History
Bonaire's 1st airport was turn up near Tra'i Montaña Subi Blanku and walked across the current way of Kralendijk to Rincon. It was only a districting strip and a shelter. It was built in 1936 and is see the location that is the set about of air on Bonaire.
The building work for this airport, get down on September 23, 1935. The aim was to form a longer landing track, but it turn up impossible to see the more than 475 m to do because the eastern part of the district was real low. Part of the field had to be modified, in specific where the aeroplane hitting the dry land at the districting and come up. This area covered more than 100 m from the landing track which had to be paved with a mixture of sand and rock.
KLM determined on May 9, 1936, to take the lay on the line to wing the 1st voyage to Bonaire from Curaçao. The Oriol (Fokker F-XVIII "Snip), was taken for this prove. The 1st experimental districting was successful and also a historic minute. Therefore KLM make up one's mind to do the 1st functionary voyage with riders and was scheduled to be do on May 31, 1936.
American soldiers get on Bonaire in the 2nd one-half of 1943 and their commanding officer say that a new airport had to be made. In December 1943 building set about in the neck of the woods of where the present airport currently stand up. The new airport, named "Flamingo Airport", was set into use in 1945. This was a large come out for Bonaire and its air power system. A little depot was made that was suitable for the figure of riders at the clip. This construction was used until mid 1976.
The building of a new landing track set about in the last calendar month of 1953 and was finished in 1955. The little depot had been continued with a patio where baggage is able to be presented. The landing track was continued and spread out several clips. In 1960, the landing track had a length of 1430 m and a breadth of 30 metres. Hotels and interested political parties on the island elongated to force for a further extension of the landing track so that charter voyages from the United States were able to bring down here. Those voyages were frequently do with DC8 or B707 aircraft. In 1970 the landing track was continued to 1750 metres long and 30 m broad, enough for a DC9 to bring down and take-off with full burden. On June 7, 1974, a public sensible for the building of a new depot construction was do. The construction got operational in 1976. Meanwhile, hotels and foreign investors elongated to take a firm stand that the landing track be continued further. This was take before anybody more hotels is able to be made. In 1980 the landing track was once again continued to 2400 metre long and 45 m broad, and in 2000 another extension ensued in the current length of 2880 m to alleviate the biggest airliners on intercontinental voyages.
Dutch bearer KLM set about in 2000 using this airport to refuel aeroplanes en path from Amsterdam to Peru or Equador
Airport info & installations
The 1st Bonaire-Miami voyage took location on April 19, 1980, possible since the landing track extension of that yr. The current landing track of 2880 m. is long enough for voyages to Europe with a maximal take-off weight. KLM get down with voyages to Peru and afterwards to Ecuador with a fuelstop on Bonaire in 2002. In recent yr, the facilities at the airport have been overhauled and spread out. There is a new going hallway, a new platform for broad organic structure aircraft and a fuel farm was also added. Today Flamingo Airport is a full service halt for theodolite voyages and the destination for many tourist voyages, with air-conditioned business office, eating house, going hallway & shops.
The airport registered a more than 10% increase in riders in the 1st twenty-five percent of this yr (2008). March was a put down calendar month and the increase has a deal to do with the Delta and Continental Airlines voyages. Compared to the same period last yr also the local riders increased by 10.6%. International traffic increased by 8.8% which is breakthrough for the airport for Bonaire.
Since November 2005, visitants and holidaymakers arrving at Bonaire are welcomed to a vibrant new Business and Tourism Showcase. A assortment of colourful wall painting, vivid flat-panel exposes, and high profile patronized windsurfing sails will showcase all that the island of Bonaire has to offer. Pennsylvania-based Interspace Airport Advertising, through its subordinate Interspace Airport Advertising Curaçao, N.V., made the new terminal-wide advertizing expose programme. Interspace will also oversee the plan through a ten yr partnership with the airport dominance.
The Airport has 2 independent inclines in which the bigger 1 is used for broad personified aircraft such as KLM and Arkefly, but the incline is also used by Continental Airlines and Delta. It was also used by Air Jamaica, before they held their functioning to Bonaire. The direction of the airport is now working on the apron to let 2 wide-bodied aircraft to parkland along each other, with the use of pushback auto, when ready for going. The little incline which is located in front end of the airport construction is naimly used by little functioning aircraft such as, DAE, Divi Divi, EZAir, Tiara Air and Insel Air, alongside with the bigger Delta, Continental and Arkefly aircraft when the bigger apron is in use by another big aircraft. at the start of the landing track, lies the General Aviations incline, where largely Private aircraft are turn up.
BonAeroClub also offers rubber-necking chances and also voyage lessons with their Cessna 172.
Parking system & bear down
Since May 2008, Bonaire International Airport (BIA) has get down with the redevelopment of the parkland locations at Flamingo Airport. The airport presents short- and long-term paid parkland. Financial managing director Gerard Chin-A-Lien pointed that the labor is going to cost $2.1 million. Most of this money is going to be passed on pavement, installments of the automatic parkland system, landscaping, and visible radiation. This service functionary set about on five September 2008.The 1st 15 min. parkland is going to be free; two florins for each 60 minute; and after 4 60 minutes, one florin with a maximal of 20 florins per solar day. Long parkland costs ten florins per solar day. According to security managing director Tico Wanga, a quite a little of attending is paid to safety with sufficient visible radiation and photographic camera all over, and patrolling security force.
Check-In system and Airport TAX fee
Since October, 2008, Bonaire has presented the new CUTE system from SITA. CUTE stands for Common Use Terminal Equipment. This is a general use system whereby all air hose is able to use each of the twelve available check-in counters at the Flamingo Airport. More flexibleness is obtained while the functioning capacity of riders at the check-in counters is increased and do more efficient. The older check-in system worked with so called committed check-in counters which were only usable by 1 particular air hose and is able to not be used by other air hose, hence cut back functioning capacity. Furthermore, FIDS (Flight Information Display System), will supply a real clip exhibit of the position of voyages as a service sweetening to going away clients. In addition to the scheduled reaching or times of departure, info such as "Departed", "Delayed", "Boarding", etc. is able to be exhibited.
The airport taxation business office is turn up in the round stall in the public area . It is open from 05:00 till 21:00. If your final destination is either anybody of the Islands of the Netherlands Antilles, or Aruba, the initial monetary value is 10,00 antillean florins for the airport taxation, plus 2,50 florins for the security fee, then the aggregative gets, 12,50 florins ($7,00 US Dollars). There is a 50% disregard for inhabitants from two to twelve yr and 60 yr or older. For other destinations, outside the Netherlands Antilles & Aruba, the initial monetary value is 57,60 florins for the airport taxation, plus 2,50 for the security fee, then the aggregative gets, 60,10 florins ($34,00 US Dollars). Children under two yr old do not have to pay airport taxation. First check-in for your voyage and next you pay the airport taxation. An ATM-machine is turn up in the public area next to the eating house. Most debit and plastic are accepted.
Due to the unveiling of this new system, Bonaire International Airport N.V. will bear down each going away rider a service bear down, get down December 1, 2008. This service bear down sums of money to 3.00 florins (approximately $1.69 US Dollars) and shall be added to the being rider installation bear down (airport taxation). This averages that going away riders for domestic destinations will pay 15.50 florins (approximately $8.71 US Dollars), while those winging to an international destination will pay 63.50 florins (approximately $36.67 US Dollars). Departing riders over the age of 60 or small than the age of 12, and who are inhabitants of either the Netherlands Antilles or Aruba, will have a domestic destination fee of 10.50 florins (approximately $5.90 US Dollars). Children under two yr are exempt.
Future programmes
It is planned to spread out the current airport construction as more air hose and holidaymakers come to Bonaire. It is also planned to spread out the current Departure & Arrival hallway of the airport to run across the criterion of the sum of money of holidaymaker that shall be visiting the airport in the come up yr abd to repairthe airport's landing track after sure conjectures that the landing track had a break in it. According to The Dutch Transport Minister, Camiel Eurlings, he work out that it will cost approximately €20 million (euro) (57 million florins) to fix Bonaire's worn-out Flamingo International Airport landing track. Since Bonaire is going to be the duty of the Netherlands, including ownership of the airport, it must abide by with the European criterion, which are much nonindulgent than the ICAO criterion. Recently, the in the world general aviation dominance dealt an audited account on all of the airports within the Dutch Kingdom (including the balance of the Netherlands Antilles & Aruba) and said that they are merely within criterion. "Regarding the status of the airport of Bonaire, there is no take to terror, there is no acute danger, only overdue upkeep. the landing track necessitates heavy redevelopments and the individuals of Bonaire take a vital airport," Concluded Eurlings.
The direction of the airport is now in the function of straighten up a master programme to follow with international demands. There are 3 eminent labors be after which include:
- Maintenance of the landing track (as cited above)
- Moving the firehouse to the center of the landing track
- Purchasing 2 push-back auto for the heavy jet plane (One already come and parked at the General Aviations incline)
The direction is working real difficult to make a point that the Bonaire International Airport is as safe as potential and this style is able to receive the aircraft that come to Bonaire and bring to the growing of the touristry on the island.
Original article.