Airport Information and Facilities
The first Bonaire-Miami flight took place on April 19, 1980, possible since the runway extension of that year. The current runway of 2880m is long enough for flights to Europe with a maximum take-off weight. KLM began with flights to Peru and later to Ecuador with a fuelstop on Bonaire in 2002. In recent years, the facilities at the airport have been modernized and expanded. There is a new departure hall, a new platform for wide body aircraft and a fuel farm was also added. As of 2009, Flamingo Airport is a full service stop for transit flights and the destination for many tourist flights, with air-conditioned offices, restaurant, departure hall and stores.
The airport registered a more than 10% increase in passengers in the first quarter of 2008. March was a record month and the increase has a lot to do with the Delta and Continental Airlines flights. Compared to the same period last year also the local passengers increased by 10.6%. International traffic increased by 8.8% which is breakthrough for the airport for Bonaire.
Since November 2005, visitors and tourists arrving at Bonaire are welcomed to a vibrant new Business and Tourism Showcase. A variety of colorful murals, vivid flat-panel displays, and high profile sponsored windsurfing sails will showcase all that the island of Bonaire has to offer. Pennsylvania-based Interspace Airport Advertising, through its subsidiary, Interspace Airport Advertising Curaçao, N.V., created the new terminal-wide advertising display program. Interspace will also manage the program through a 10-year partnership with the airport authority.
The airport has two main ramps. The smaller ramp, which is situated in front of the airport building. The ramp consist of 4 parking spots (PP1, PP2, PP3 and PP4) and is naimly used by smaller operating aircraft such as, DAE, Divi Divi, EZAir, Tiara Air and Insel Air, along with the larger Delta, United and Arkefly aircraft when the larger apron is in use by another large aircraft. The larger one is used for wide bodied aircraft such as KLM and Arkefly, but is also used by United, Delta and Insel Air, when vacant. The Larger ramp consist of two parking spots (PP5 and PP6). The management of the airport is currently working on the apron to allow two wide-bodied aircraft to park alongside each other, with the use of pushback cars, when ready for departure. At the beginning of the runway, lies the General Aviation's ramp, where mostly private aircraft are located. Due to overcrowding of the GA Ramp, some private aircraft utilize the larger ramp, at PP6 to park when overnighting and long stays.
In the past, the airport has been served by Air ABC, Air ALM, Air Aruba, Air Europe (Italy), Air Jamaica, American Eagle (Executive Airlines), Avensa, Avior Airlines, Bonaire Express/Curaçao Express (now Dutch Antilles Express), Canada 3000, Cats Air, Dutch Caribbean Airlines, Línea Turística Aereotuy, Martinair, Miami Air International, Royal Aruban Airlines, Servivensa, Sobelair and Surinam Airways.
BonAeroClub also offers sightseeing opportunities and also flight lessons with their Cessna 172.
Read more about this topic: Flamingo International Airport
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