The Dutch island airport of Aruba in the western Caribbean has new management in the form of a team from Amsterdam's Schiphol, and they have not just boosted passenger numbers but given the airport and the island a new look and outlook on competition
Aruba thinks of itself as a piece of the Netherlands, just one that happens to be next to Venezuela. In December 1934, the first tri-engine Fokker aircraft landed, not far from the present airport. Scheduled flights between Aruba and Curaçao started in 1935, with a record of 2,659 passengers transported that year. It has grown a little since then: passengers moving through the airport are up sharply, with 1.84 million passengers in 2007, up by 13% on the previous year. Traffic is up by about another 30% so far this year.
Aruba is hosting the Airline Business organised Network Latin America airline-airport route planning event in early December to keep its growth going, but, as Peter Steinmetz, the managing director of the airport, says: "We don't compete with the kind of places that emphasise volume. Our visitors are older and wealthier. They tend to be 40-60, and many have timeshares."
The typical Aruban visitor comes from New England, and this is why Steinmetz wants geographical diversity. His greatest desire is for new service to the US Midwest. The Midwest is the source of a major charter operation by USA3000, and that runs at nearly complete occupancy, indicating strong demand. That is followed by a desire for service to one of the German-speaking countries, Scandinavia or Northern Italy. The airport is also talking to the major airlines of Central America. In South America it has service to Bogotá in Colombia as well as several points in close-by Venezuela.
The airport is managed by the same corporation that runs Amsterdam Schiphol Airport. It took over in April 2004 and since then, Steinmetz says, "has turned red ink into black". The corporation's mandate to manage the airport has been extended until the end of 2026, says Steinmetz.
Facelift
The airport, named after Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, is undergoing a facelift, and is expected to meet ICAO's runway overrun standards by the end of June. It has had to build out over the water for this. A creative collaboration with local designers led to a commercial retail upgrading of the airport with 11 food and beverage outlets and over 2,000m2 (21,528ft2) of space inside, and improved parking and signage.
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Aruba's airport has a new look - inside and out |
While the only scheduled European service is from Amsterdam with KLM, it is also served by Dutch charter operator Arkefly. From the US, Delta is adding service from Atlanta with an overnight flight on Fridays and Saturdays between 14 June and 17 August. That will bring Delta's schedule up to nine weekly flights from Atlanta and two from New York JFK this summer. The overnight flight provides for improved connections to destinations beyond Atlanta. Spirit Airlines is also increasing its service from Fort Lauderdale to twice-weekly between May and September. JetBlue Airways also serves Aruba from both its New York JFK hub and Boston Logan.
Aruba's competition is limited the other Dutch islands are Bonaire, which focuses on diving and divers, and Curaçao, which has a largely European clientele. The US requirement for passports under the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative did not deter travellers, and interestingly there has been little effect from tensions between Venezuela - its nearest neighbour - and the USA.
In fact, Venezuelan travellers increased their trips to Aruba dramatically last year, in large part driven by a desire to increase their access to US currency while their national economy is in turmoil. The strong Euro has helped bring travellers from the Netherlands and Europe, while the relatively weak dollar has kept US tourists closer to home. The island now has 8,000 rooms but will have 11,000 within four years.
Network Latin America will provide the perfect opportunity for airports to build relationships with Latin American and US carriers, tourism operators and network planners.
Dates 7-9 December 2008
Venue Aruba
Event organiser Airline Business
Conference manager Jane Cartwright
Tel +44 208 652 3659
E-mail jane.cartwright@flightglobal.com
Website: flightglobal.com/networklatam
Source: Airline Business
