Queen Beatrix International Airport

Queen Beatrix International Airport Internationale luchthaven Koningin Beatrix Aeropuerto Internacional Reina Beatrix
IATA: AUA ICAO: TNCA
Summary
Airport type	Public
Owner	Aruba Airport Authority N.V.
Location	Oranjestad, Aruba
Hub for	< div> Insel Air Tiara Air
Elevation AMSL	60 ft / 18 m
Website	airportaruba.com
Map
TNCA  Location in Aruba
Runways
Direction Length Surface m ft 11/29 2,743 8,999 Asphalt
Source: DAFIF

Queen Beatrix International Airport (IATA: AUA, ICAO: TNCA) (Dutch Internationale luchthaven Koningin Beatrix; Papiamento: Aeropuerto Internacional Reina Beatrix), located in Oranjestad, Aruba, is an aviation facility. It has flight services to the United States, most countries in the Caribbean, the northern coastal countries of South America, Canada and some parts of Europe, notably the Netherlands. It was named after Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, the head of state of Aruba.

This airport used to serve as the hub for bankrupt airline Air Aruba, which was for many years an international airline. Before Aruba's separation from the Netherlands Antilles in 1986 it was also one of three hubs for Air ALM.

The airport offers US Border Pre-clearance facilities.

A terminal for private aircraft opened in 2007.

Airlines and destinations

A Continental Airlines Boeing 737-800 landing

US Airways Boeing 757 departing

Passenger airlines

Airlines	Destinations
Aerolíneas Mas	Santo Domingo-La Isabela
Air Canada	Toronto-Pearson
AirTran Airways operated by Southwest Airlines	Atlanta, Baltimore, Orlando
American Airlines	Miami
Arkefly	Amsterdam, Curaçao
Aruba Airlines	São Paulo-Guarulhos
Avianca	Bogotá
Avior Airlines	Caracas, Maracaibo, Valencia
Blue Panorama Airlines	Milan-Malpensa
Copa Airlines	Panama City
Copa Airlines Colombia	Seasonal: Bogotá
Delta Air Lines	Atlanta, New York-JFK Seasonal: New York-LaGuardia
Dutch Antilles Express	Bonaire, Caracas, Curaçao, Santo Domingo
Gol Airlines	Brasília, Caracas, Rio de Janeiro-Galeão, São Paulo-Guarulhos
Insel Air	Curaçao
JetBlue Airways	Boston, New York–JFK
KLM	Amsterdam, Bonaire
LASER Airlines	Caracas
Pullmantur Air	Seasonal: Madrid
Spirit Airlines	Fort Lauderdale
Sunwing Airlines	Montréal–Trudeau, Toronto-Pearson
Surinam Airways	Miami, Paramaribo
Tiara Air	Bonaire, Caracas, Curaçao, Fort Lauderdale, Maracaibo, Punto Fijo, Riohacha Seasonal: Armenia, Medellín
Thomson Airways	Seasonal: London-Gatwick
United Airlines	Chicago-O'Hare, Houston-Intercontinental, Newark, Washington-Dulles Seasonal: New York-LaGuardia
US Airways	Charlotte, Philadelphia
Venezolana	Caracas, Maracaibo
WestJet	Toronto-Pearson

Cargo airlines

Airlines	Destinations
Ameriflight	San Juan
Amerijet International	Miami, Santiago de los Caballeros, Santo Domingo
DHL Aero Expreso	Panama City
Líneas Aéreas Suramericanas	Bogotá
Merlin Express	Aguadilla

Charter & seasonal airlines

Airlines	Destinations
Blue Panorama Airlines	Milan-Malpensa
CanJet	Toronto-Pearson
Conviasa	Caracas
Miami Air International	Miami
Perla Airlines	Porlamar
Pullmantur Air	Madrid
Rico Linhas Aéreas	Manaus
RUTACA Airlines	Caracas
Sol America	Coro, Las Piedras
TAM Linhas Aéreas	São Paulo

Busiest US Routes from Aruba (2009–2010)

Rank	Airport	Passengers	Carriers
1	New York (JFK), New York	237,498	American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, JetBlue
2	Miami, Florida	209,364	American Airlines
3	Newark, New Jersey	145,448	United Airlines
4	Atlanta, Georgia	139,547	AirTran, Delta Air Lines
5	Charlotte, North Carolina	120,362	US Airways
6	Boston, MA	113,910	JetBlue, US Airways
7	Philadelphia, PA	67,993	US Airways
8	Washington (Dulles), VA	27,477	United Airlines
9	Chicago (O'Hare), Illinois	18,362	United Airlines
10	Houston, TX (Bush)	15,727	United Airlines

World War II

During World War II the airport was used by the United States Army Air Forces Sixth Air Force defending Caribbean shipping and the Panama Canal against German submarines. Flying units assigned to the airfield were:

• 59th Bombardment Squadron (9th Bombardment Group) 14 January-24 September 1942 (A-20 Havoc)
• 12th Bombardment Squadron (25th Bombardment Group) 10 October 1942–23 November 1943 (B-18 Bolo)
• 22d Fighter Squadron (36th Fighter Group) 2 September 1942-April 1943 (P-40 Warhawk)
• 32d Fighter Squadron (Antilles Air Command) 9 March 1943-March 1944 (P-40 Warhawk)

Incidents and accidents

• 13 January 2010, an Arkefly Boeing 767-300 PH-AHQ operating flight OR361 from Amsterdam Schiphol Airport to Queen Beatrix International Airport declared an emergency after a man who claimed to have a bomb on board ensued a struggle with the flight crew, the aircraft made an emergency Landing at Shannon Airport. Gardai stormed the plane and arrested the man, where he was taken to Shannon Garda station. A passenger having had surgery earlier the month before collapsed in the terminal while waiting for the continuation of the flight and had to be taken to a local hospital. The replacement aircraft PH-AHY also a Boeing 767-300 continued the flight to Aruba.

World's Top 10 Airport Approaches

In 2011, the airport was voted fourth in a list of the world's top 10 airport approaches in a survey conducted by PrivateFly.com.

References

• Official Website

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency

• Maurer Maurer (1982-01-01). Air Force Combat Units of World War II: History and Insignia. Zenger Publishing Company, Incorporated. ISBN 978-0-89201-092-9.
• M. Maureer (1983-06-01). Combat Squadrons of the Air Force in World War II: History & Insignia. Zenger Publishing Company, Incorporated. ISBN 978-0-89201-097-4.

External links

• Current weather for TNCA at NOAA/NWS
• Accident history for AUA at Aviation Safety Network