TNCM Princess Juliana
 

Was recently through TNCM a few times.

How much longer will this airport be allowed to operate?

1 controller handling everything - Approach, Ground, Tower etc.

People stamping on each other with R/T calls and blocking.

How long before they have Tenerife No. 2?

Spoke to a few guys about it and apparently it is some sort of internal power struggle that stops it being fixed.

Weird and scary place.

What? First, no fog, so no Tenerife 2. Not many other places on the island to put an airport, and finally, loads of much busier airports in the US and elsewhere operate at times with one ATCO.

GF

It seems to actually be a rather safe airport.

https://aviation-safety.net/database...ort.php?id=SXM

The hills off the prevailing departure runway 28 are probably more of a risk than the ATC ops - and no one has ever hit them yet, apparently. (And no one has hit any sunbathers or videographers on the beach 20 feet below the approach to 10 either. ;) ).

A rather simple layout for one controller to handle, and the "local folks" - which would include both KLM/AF from Europe and the islands-hoppers (LIAT, Winair) - know it like the back of their hands. Although there is a required back-taxi after landing for anything much bigger than a Twin Otter.

The only time I flew out of TNCM, there were far more traffic problems and risk of a collision on the water and in the streets (thanks to a local regatta) than on or above the airport.