The Dutch Caribbean island of Curaçao is planning a significant terminal expansion project, according to the Curaçao Tourist Board.
Curaçao Airport Partners has announced an “extensive” terminal expansion project slated for completion in 2018.
The project will include added space in waiting areas, along with more shops and food and beverage areas, among other additions.
The project is slated to begin in the second quarter of the year.
Curaçao Airport Partners says the project will increase the airport’s capacity to at least 2.5 million passengers (from its current annual load of 1.6 million), and will “efficiently accommodate the anticipated demand by the airlines for new air service capacity.”
The project will also add a new jet bridge capable of accommodating Airbus A380 aircraft, along with a new arrivals corridor and more commercial space.
“CAP is very pleased to actively promote the continued development of aviation in Curaçao, and to make the proposed investment, because we foresee a continued growth in passenger traffic, and we are confident in the future of Curaçao as a tourism destination and regional economic center,” the organization said in a statement.
Willemstad, Curaçao
If realized, Curaçao’s airport expansion would be the latest in a series of both new and planned airport terminals in the region, most recently at Antigua’s VC Bird International Airport, although several more are planned, including in the Cayman Islands and St Lucia, among others.
Curacao has been working to boost its tourism arrivals, particularly in the United States, something that got a significant push with the launch of JetBlue service to the island in late 2014.
Last year, JetBlue announced that it would be expanding its service to a third weekly flight from New York by the end of this year.
The airport also recently completed more than $10 million in renovations to its facilities that included the addition of air conditioning to check-in facilities and runway upgrades.