Latin America · Sint Maarten

Handling at St Maarten (TNCM)

We handle overflight permits, slots, flight plans, fuel, customs and the turnaround at Sint Maarten Princess Juliana. One coordinator owns the stop at St Maarten, from the first filing to wheels up.

AERODROME

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ICAO: TNCM
IATA: SXM
Elevation: 13 ft
Position: 18.041, -63.109

RUNWAYS

10/282,300 m / 7,546 ftAsphalt

Reference only, not for flight planning. Lengths are full declared runway length rather than declared distances, and this page is not amended on the AIRAC cycle. Check the current AIP and NOTAMs, or ask the desk and we will check them for you.

The field

What TNCM is actually like

Princess Juliana is the main hub for the northeastern Caribbean and the connecting point for the surrounding islands. Its approach over Maho Beach is the most photographed in aviation, and the field itself is a serious regional gateway.

Operating brief

What we handle before you file

Permits

Sint Maarten is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands with its own civil aviation authority. Permits are straightforward, and the onward islands each have their own requirements which are the real work.

Slots and parking

No formal slot control. Parking is limited by the size of the field and tightens sharply in the winter season.

Customs and border

Sint Maarten is the standard entry point for the northeastern Caribbean. The island is split between Dutch and French jurisdictions, which matters the moment the trip continues to Saint-Martin or Anguilla.

When it gets tight

The winter season from December through April, with Christmas and New Year as the hardest weeks. Hurricane season from June through November is a genuine planning factor in this part of the Caribbean.

On the ground

Off the aircraft and into the car

Fifteen minutes to Philipsburg and twenty to the French side, with the border crossing being nothing more than a road sign. Handling is efficient. The onward hops to Anguilla and St Barths are short enough that many passengers never leave the airport.

Alternates

Where we go when TNCM will not take the trip

Every one of these is a field we would put to you with the reason attached, not a list of nearby runways.

TFFG
Grand Case, Saint-Martin
The French side of the same island, smaller, and a different jurisdiction.
TKPK
Robert L. Bradshaw, St Kitts
Twenty minutes south, capable, and usually with parking.
TQPF
Clayton J. Lloyd, Anguilla
Minutes away by air, and the destination for much of the traffic that clears at Sint Maarten.

What we handle here