Author: Gideon Barriento

Willemstad, March 28, 2024.

Curaçao Airport Partners (CAP) is pleased to announce that the students who presented the CAP pitch have emerged as winners at SustainaBUL 2024: the Student Sustainability Awards, held on March 26, 2024.

This dynamic group of students showcased their innovative project aimed at reducing carbon emissions in high-traffic areas by accommodating large transportation buses within the parking area and incorporating a solar car park. Their captivating digital mock-up of the solar car park impressed both the live audience and the jury.

Their participation in SustainaBUL 2024 exemplifies their eagerness to contribute to meaningful progress in sustainability and reflects their passion for creating a more environmentally friendly future.

CAP congratulates them on their well-deserved victory and looks forward to continued collaboration with these talented students of the UoC.

UoC students engage in CUR’s sustainability journey.

Willemstad March 19, 2024

Curaçao Airport Partners (CAP) proudly announces its participation in the SustainaBUL 2024 Program, a collaboration with 2030 HUB Caribbean, aimed at promoting Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and sustainability initiatives in Curaçao. As part of CAP’s commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and its ongoing strategic plan for the development of CUR Airport, CAP has joined this program, facilitated by the University of Curaçao (UoC), to engage second-year students of the Finance & Control field in a sustainability challenge.

Jonny Andersen, CEO of CAP, expressed enthusiasm for this initiative, stating, “It was a natural decision for us to become part of this project. We believe in investing in our youth and contributing to platforms that enhance education and personal development, molding future leaders of our community.”

Thirty students participated in a Green Tour, visiting local companies involved in the program. During their visit to CUR, the students received insights from CAP’s Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) team on existing sustainability efforts and future plans to create a greener airport. Three students were selected to tackle CAP’s sustainability challenge, which involves developing a plan to accommodate large transportation buses within the parking area, reducing carbon emissions in high-traffic areas, and incorporating a solar car park.

Andersen emphasized the importance of education and consciousness-raising efforts, stating, “There are challenges ahead to achieve collective awareness on this global issue. CAP sees partnerships with programs like ‘SustainaBUL’ and 2030 HUB Caribbean as instrumental in creating awareness and helping bring a shift in mentality.”

The students will present their results to a live audience and jury during SustainBUL 2024: the Student Sustainability Awards on March 26, 2024, and CAP eagerly anticipates the outcome of the student team’s project. The pitch and report to be presented, will surely contain valuable insights and perspectives of a group of dynamic students who are eager to contribute to change, leaving their own mark in our airport’s sustainability journey.

CAP extends its best wishes to all participating students and companies involved in this transformative initiative, ultimately benefiting the entire community of Curaçao.

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Willemstad, March 8, 2024 – Duck Donuts officially opened its doors at Curaçao International Airport, located outside on the Airport Boulevard, with opening hours daily from 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM.

Duck Donuts is part of an American franchise, and this is the first store in the Caribbean. What makes Duck Donuts unique is that they are made fresh to order and served warm. Additionally, customers can choose their desired flavors for their donuts or select one from the many flavors on the menu. Introducing an innovative twist, soon Duck Donuts will be offering breakfast-style donuts, with eggs, cheese, bacon, etc. To sweeten the deal, locals receive a discount when they present a valid ID. Owner Willem-Jan Paardekoper also mentioned plans to open one more branch in Curaçao, likely in the Punda/Otrabanda area.

Come and treat yourself to some irresistibly scrumptious donuts at 𝗖𝗨𝗥!

Click HERE to watch the video.

The only Caribbean airport nominated in the under 5M passenger category.

Willemstad February 2, 2024 – Curaçao Airport Partners NV (CAP), proud operators of Curaçao International Airport (CUR), has been notified by the Routes Americas Awards 2024 committee of its recognition by the airline community for excellence in route development marketing activities. 2023 has been one of the airport’s all-time best performing years, with 1,76M passenger movements, route network expansion with three (3) new valued airline partners, two (2) additional gateways and seven (7) airline partners adding additional flights. CAP could not have envisioned a better ending to a successful year than with the honor of a shortlisted nod by the airline community.

The prestigious Routes Awards recognize excellence in route development across the Americas’ airlines, airports, and destinations. Curaçao International Airport is the only Caribbean airport shortlisted in the Under 5 million Passengers category. CAP is humbled to share the category with four (4) other outstanding airports in the Americas.

The judges, comprised of airline planners, will be judging the airports on route development content, air service results and effectiveness, relations with airline partners and innovative marketing campaigns. The successful rebranding of our airport through a well-received new logo, CUR, representing the destination’s warmth, vibrancy, and hospitality, will be at the center of our supporting documents.

CAP is grateful to our valued airline partners, our tourism partners, our airport and the local community for their continued support and partnership. CAP congratulates our supporting partners at the Curaçao Tourist Board, CTB, with being shortlisted for their efforts promoting the destination. The Routes Americas Award winners will be announced during Routes Americas 2024 in Bogota, Colombia, March 19 – 21, 2024.

More info:
https://shorturl.at/adxKP

Curaçao International Airport reports near record breaking passenger traffic figures for 2023, marking one of its best performing years ever.

Curaçao Airport Partners NV, CAP, is pleased to report the year end 2023 passenger traffic results of Curaçao International Airport. Total 2023 passenger movements (all Arriving and Departing Passengers through our terminal) were 1,707,889, a +17% increase compared to year end 2022 movements. CUR was one of the first Caribbean destinations to recover passenger traffic figures by year end 2022 and in further comparing 2023 total movements with 2019, the increase is of +18%. For 2023, CAP reported 665,389 International Departing Passengers, an +16% increase compared to 2022; Dutch Caribbean Departing Passengers, 134,534 an +20% increase compared to 2022; Arriving Passengers, 817,910 an +18% increase compared to 2022.

In 2023, Curaçao International Airport increased seat capacity through airline partners who added frequencies, launched new service and or up gauged equipment. Total capacity was 2,111,140 seats (in- and outbound), an +11% increase over 2022 with an average Load Factor of 84%, a 4-point growth over 2022.

Diversification Strategy Successful

Post Covid, CAP focused on the recovery, and revised the short-term strategy towards retention and diversification of the route network. The emphasis was placed on South America and the USA as the primary regions for further growth and stimulating diversification. The increase in demand for the destination through public and private tourism partnership initiatives and further supported by a significant growth in room inventory, contributed to positive 2023 results. CUR recovered passenger traffic in 2022 and grew significantly in 2023.

The 2023 passenger traffic market share per region was distributed as follows, The Netherlands, a 37% share; Dutch Caribbean 17%; USA 20%, South America 16% and Canada 4%.

Additional and New Air Service Development

In the fourth quarter of 2023, air service from the Amsterdam gateway increased significantly with the launch of non-stop service from Corendon Airlines commencing with three (3) weekly flights and increasing to five (5) weekly flights as of December 2023. TUI increased to double daily non-stop and direct flights as of the winter schedule from Amsterdam. KL introduced the new business and premium comfort class seating on the B777 aircraft and increased flights to double daily service during the winter peak demand periods. In addition, the strongest feeder cities from Europe via Amsterdam were Frankfurt, Berlin, Paris-CDG, London-Heathrow, München, Zurich and Düsseldorf.

From the USA, even though there are still crew, staffing and ATC challenges, JetBlue increased non-stop service from five (5) weekly New York-JFK frequencies to daily. American Airlines increased non-stop Charlotte frequencies from weekly to daily as of winter 2023. To further compliment CURs route network, Delta launched weekly non-stop Saturday service from Atlanta. In addition, the strongest feeder cities from the USA to Curaçao are Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Philadelphia, New-York JFK, Washington-National, Atlanta, Boston and Orlando.

The Canadian market has increased with Air Canada non-stop service from weekly to three (3) weekly year-round flights.  In addition, WestJet has announced a second (2^nd) non-stop weekly flight from Toronto for winter 2023.

The South American market gained additional flights from Bogota and Panama. Copa Airlines increased from five (5) weekly to daily non-stop flights from Panama. Avianca increased non-stop service from Bogota from eight (8) to eleven (11) weekly flights. In June, Azul Airlines launched non-stop, and shortly thereafter, increased flights to twice (2x) weekly service from Belo Horizonte to Curacao. The launch of non-stop service from Brazil has been an important achievement for the destination and the further diversification of the route network. Curaçao is Azul Airlines’ first Caribbean destination. The strongest feeder markets from South America are Sao Paulo-GRU, Medellin, Buenos Aires-Ezeiza, Cali, Santiago de Chile, Lima and San Jose, Costa Rica.

The Dutch Caribbean demand for inter-travel increased primarily to visit family and friends, for business purposes and sports and social events.

Curaçao International Airport’s route network comprises of nineteen (19) airline partners, and twenty-three (23) gateways.

CUR 2024 outlook – a record breaking year

The outlook for 2024 passenger traffic results is that of a record-breaking year through a moderate growth of 6%. The 2023 total passenger movement figures fell 2% below the airport’s highest year-end passenger traffic results in 2015. CAP does remain aware of the volatile airline industry. The geo-political issues in various regions are causing tensions on a global level. In addition, aircraft, crew and staffing issues continue to impact the industry.

Route network retention and contained traffic growth will be the focus for CAP in 2024. CAP anticipates the volumes of daily movements throughout the airport to remain at the current pace and the airport community continues to ensure an efficient, safe and secure passenger experience. In addition, CAP continues to work in close partnership with public and private tourism partners to further grow the demand for the destination in a sustainable and profitable manner.

Contribution to one of Curaçao’s largest cultural expressions

Willemstad January 9, 2024 – The official opening of the ‘Carnival 2024’ season last weekend, signals the start of the next busy season for CUR | Curaçao International Airport. The Airport is an asset of Curaçao Airport Holding (CAH), that is developed and managed Curaçao Airport Partners (CAP), the operators of CUR. As CUR will be bringing in thousands of visitors to our island to enjoy the festivities, both companies decided to enhance their role and contribution to the season by becoming a partner for the grand Tumba Festival!

“This season of celebration and joy has become increasingly popular for music and carnival lovers of the region and even far destinations. With our current list of airlines and destinations, we are so excited to see an interesting mix of visiting tourists discover what these festivities bring to their schedules during their trips this time of the year. As we know the grand impact and are aware of the key role we play in connecting the carnival lovers to the island, we know it made sense to also be part of an event which is basically the anchor of the entire season”, said Mr. Jonny Andersen, CEO of CAP.

CUR and CAH saw this as a perfect opportunity to continue their individual efforts to contribute to the community, and the TUMBA festival, which brings a grand part of the community together in pure musical enjoyment, seemed fitting of these efforts. Music is an experience, one which CUR has been embracing as part of the travel experience offered to customers. During this period, we are reminded of the role music plays within any culture as it is part of its identity. CUR stands for and believes in nurturing and cultivating all aspects of the local culture which makes this beautiful island unique.

In the past years CAH has been a large contributor to local music festivals such as the Curaçao North Sea Jazz festival, Flying Dutch Festival, Ilan Chester, and most recently the Hak’e Curaçao Summer Festival 2023. CAH plans on expanding its horizons in 2024 by collaborating to bring more international and local artists to Curaçao. Previous successful festivals were even held just east to the CAH premises, on the area adjacent to the Airport called ‘Curaçao Airport Venue’, a locality that is projected to grow and is much liked one due to its openness, breeziness, providing endless possibilities with easy access. possibilities with easy access.

“The vibrancy that the Tumba Festival brings to the island during the entire week and days leading up to carnival, is undeniable. There is such a contagious joy you can feel within any type of company, organization, on the streets and anywhere you go to around the island. These are the moments that characterize us and make us who we are as a community. At CAH we knew right away that we would want to be part in ensuring this edition of the festival is yet again a successful one”, said Mr. Wilhelmus Ignacio, Managing Director of Curaçao Airport Holding.

CUR and CAH look forward to welcoming musicians, fans, and everyone ready to enjoy the entire Tumba Festival season and invites the community to stay tuned for great gimmicks as it gives back to the community and customers while the island celebrates to the beats of musical masterpieces! Make sure you’re following the Tumba 2024 social media platforms, so you don’t miss out.

Winter Flight Schedule 2023/24

Curaçao Airport Partners N.V. (CAP), is pleased to share that the passenger traffic outlook for winter 2023/2024 is positive.

CAP has been adamant in securing the retention of its route network, the growth of passenger traffic and diversification of seat capacity primarily from the United States and South America. Amsterdam, accounts for 38% of seat capacity; North America 17%; South America 32% and the Dutch Caribbean for 13%. The overall seat capacity growth is +21% compared to 2022.

In comparing seat capacity per region for winter 2023/24 with winter 2022/23, Europe will increase by +45%; South America by +32%, USA 21% and Canada by +39%.

From Amsterdam, Corendon will be launching new non-stop frequencies with an A350 aircraft, TUI will increase to double daily direct and non-stop service and KLM will increase from daily to eleven (11) weekly flights during the winter peaks.

From the USA, American Airlines is increasing weekly non-stop Charlotte service to daily, JetBlue will increase from five (5x) weekly to daily service from New York, JFK and Delta Air Lines will be launching weekly non-stop Saturday service from Atlanta, Georgia. Westjet will increase to twice (2x) weekly service from Toronto, Canada on Mondays.

Azul Airlines will increase to twice weekly non-stop service from Belo Horizonte, Brazil and Avianca will be increasing non-stop service to eleven (11x) weekly flights from Bogota, Colombia.

Curaçao International Airport’s route network comprises of nineteen (19) airline partners, twenty-three (23) gateways. Brand awareness and additional room inventory are important contributors to the growth in demand and passenger traffic. The success formula lies in the strong partnership between the public and private sector committed to the development of tourism.

Go to www.curacao-airport.com/airline-schedule for the Winter Flight Schedule 2023/24.

Willemstad, November 9, 2023 – DCCA’s Flight to the Future conference, hosted by CUR, continued with unwavering enthusiasm in a full ballroom of Curaçao Marriott Beach Resort on Tuesday (second and last day), further focusing on the International Sustainable Air Transportation through its elaborate program. A much-anticipated press conference with the CEOs of DCCA took place on Wednesday, November 8, 2023, where CUR added a ground-breaking demonstration on the Future of Aviation, to completely wrap up this grand event in a grand way.

“We have discussed and shown the endless possibilities. Innovation is unmissable and we will continue to pursue this in our daily business. This event was created by and for industry experts who know which topics are high on all our agendas. As the industry evolves, so does the way we need to see it, learn, and adapt as quickly as possible. We are excited with the outcomes of this conference and look forward to actioning soon on items discussed during this conference”, said Jonny Andersen, CEO of Curaçao Airport Partners, operator of CUR.

Participants enjoying the ongoing conference, were treated to a variety of sessions with local and international industry players as the conference progressed. International partner airlines JetBlue, KLM and TUI contributed to the conversation with their respective outlooks on the future through a panel discussion led by a IATA representative. The extensive day program also included a discussion with aircraft manufacturers Unified International, Ampaire, and Surf Air who focused on their development branch and the operations around this.

The results of a conducted research on the Dutch Caribbean inter-island connectivity were broadly elaborated on during a presentation and discussed further in a following Q&A session as this is a high priority for the six (6) member islands of DCCA.

Financial experts of renowned organizations Rijksdienst Caribisch Nederland, MCB and The Curaçao Financial Group N.V. also dived into the financial challenges airport operators are or could be confronted with during these times and in the future, while utility companies of some participating territories addressed common thoughts on alternative outlooks as they weighed into the program with a focus on their perspectives and expectations to what the future holds as important contributors to the aviation industry. Thus, a full program which left everyone satisfied with the high-level of content presented.

As mentioned initially, a press conference followed on Wednesday at the Jet Centre Curaçao. The CEOs gave a recap on the event, their personal takeaways, and their thoughts and what can be expected from DCCA as a whole. This event also counted on great media and stakeholders’ presence as CUR brought a surprising highlight; a blood plasma transportation via drone which left everyone in awe as it truly showed the Future of Aviation and what it holds and could mean for the islands.

This one-of-a-kind execution started in Otrobanda where the drone was equipped with the blood plasma and carefully transported all the way to the Jet Centre Curaçao at the airport. Present Ministers, Mr. Cijntje and Mr. Cooper joined Mr. Andersen to receive the drone and they gladly assisted in removing the blood from the drone to hand over to Mr. Felix Greving (Unitleider Technische Beheers Organisatie (TBO) of Fundashon Mariadal Bonaire). Mr. Sille, representative of the Blood Bank as well as invited industry partners and stakeholders for this historic moment.

Through this demonstration, CUR showed live, in immediate action, the endless possibilities through innovation when it comes to aviation and all that could be achieved in the very near future. This form of unmanned transportation of blood/blood plasma could be lifesaving and a gamechanger in the health industry of our territories. Transportation of pharmaceutical items could be done much faster when time is of the essence and could be a matter of life or death.

CUR looks back with great satisfaction on this successful edition of the Flight to the Future which it was honored to host and concludes with a special thanks to the entire team that organized this, but also to valued partners. A special thanks to Mrs. Krishna Doll-Oedjaghir, management of CATS, the operator of the Jet Centre Curaçao, for her warm hospitality in hosting the press conference and providing all support needed for a safe and seamless demo with all guests.

See Video 1

See Video 2

See Video 3

Successful day 1 event on International Sustainable Air Transportation

Willemstad, November 6, 2023 – Taking place from November 5 through November 8, 2023, the annual conference by the Dutch Caribbean Cooperation of Airports (DCCA), this year hosted by CUR | Curaçao International Airport at the Curaçao Marriott Beach Resort, started with great enthusiasm. This second edition of the innovative conference continues the cooperation’s focus on International Sustainable Air Transportation.

Preceded by a nice Sunset Welcome Reception for all participants and invitees on Sunday, the first day of the conference started early on Monday with the Honourable Minister Ruisandro Cijntje of Economic Development addressing everyone present, followed by welcome remarks of Mrs. Brigit Gijsberg, representative of I&W, the CEO of Curaçao Airport Partners (CAP), operator of CUR, Mr. Jonny Andersen and Mr. Joost Meijs, CEO of Queen Beatrix Airport Aruba and Chairman of DCCA.

CUR is honoured and excited with the full-house audience turnout that shows that the cooperation is already reaping the fruits of the previous conference. The successful 1st edition of this conference which took place last year and was hosted by member Queen Beatrix Airport Aruba, created much anticipation for participants returning to this event.

“The interest has been overwhelmingly high. Industry stakeholders, key players, and partners whom we are pleased to work with have all joined us during this important event which brings us together to learn from one another and to connect, fortifying collaborations. These are the moments that provide an opportunity for all present to network among territories, engaging with industry peers, while sharing and exchanging valuable knowledge”, said Jonny Andersen.

This ‘Flight to the Future’ conference continues the journey on International Sustainable Air Transportation, discussing interesting aspects related to this – exploring this broadly through insightful presentations by local and international speakers and panel discussions providing valuable insights provided by industry stakeholders.

Monday’s program contained a CEO Roundtable, the Joint Strategic Plan Handover (JSP), an interesting presentation on the Testing of Hybrid Aviation in the Dutch Caribbean, a Local Airline Panel addressing Connectivity & a look at the Future as well as Q&A sections.

Thus, a very engaging program for the two (2) main days was carefully created to ensure all attendees will walk away empowered for what the future holds on the topic, and with great visions of further cooperation between airports of the sister islands so they are all duly prepared.

Many were those who joined the event virtually as the location was completely full of not only DCCA members and stakeholders, but also peers from the region and beyond.

Day one concluded with a spectacular offsite networking event, Taste of Curaçao’ with attendees eagerly looking forward to what the next day, Tuesday, day two (2) of the conference would hold.

Willemstad, October 30, 2023 – Curaçao Airport Partners (CAP) looks back with great satisfaction on yet another successful Safety & Security week with the theme ‘Safety Culture, Innovation and Security’. Engaging sessions, presentations, and meetings on the area of aviation safety & security were provided to the entire airport community, therewith enhancing, and expanding their knowledge on this key element of the airport’s daily operations.

CAP’s 2nd annual Safety & Security week, which was held from Monday, October 23rd through Friday, 27th, with the official opening at PWFC on Monday, counted with the presence of Minister of Traffic, Transportation and Urban Planning, Mr. Charles Cooper, as well as Minister of Economic Development, Mr. Ruisandro Cijntje, amongst various Stakeholders in the industry and members of the press.

The entire program on the first three days was created with focus on the newest developments on this topic and therefore key players in the industry from ICAO NACC, FAA and a representative of Jet Blue were invited to take part to bring their valuable perspective, insights, and expertise to the team. Safety and security concern all areas in and around the airport and thus the extensive program consisted of various presentations, panels, workshops, live demos, and many more interactive learning and sharing activities.

“Making sure the teams are up to date on this aspect is key, not only for the personnel working at the facilities, but equally important for passengers and visitors. This is an important part of the travel experience of all passengers departing, arriving, or getting a connecting flight at CUR. The main goal remains to promote healthy and safe work practices and consequently a safer environment for all”, said Michael Hoehenberger, COO of CAP, operator of CUR.

A newly introduced ‘Safety Market’ was held on the Airport Boulevard on Thursday. A lively market consisting of different stands, where valuable information regarding personal health and wellbeing, an element crucial to safe practices on the work floor, was provided to the entire Airport Community.

The week was concluded with the highly anticipated FOD Walk early morning on Friday. During the FOD Walk, which is a favorite recurring event for years already, all employees and stakeholders of the Airport got together to help scan and clean the entire runway to remove FOD (any garbage/debris which may be a hazard for the safety of airplanes and vehicles on site). This event was also well visited by guests such as Minister Cijntje, Parliament member Mr. Mercelina, the media, and stakeholders at the airport. Unfortunately, Minister Cooper was abroad and could not attend like he gladly did last year. Link to after video FOD Walk: https://youtu.be/Q4SAFmxpP-Y

“We are very satisfied with this edition of the Safety & Security Week. Starting from the opening on Monday to the FOD walk on Friday, it has been an amazing experience. Our entire airport community has been excited and engaged through the entire week and that gives us a feeling of satisfaction on a job well done. We set a goal; to reach the goal we need to work together. Investing in expanding the knowledge of our people is extremely important for the path we are on. I am proud of what we have accomplished this week and just as everyone else, already look forward to the next edition”, Mr. Hoehenberger continued.

Click below to watch the presentations:

CUR Safety Week 2023 | Day 1

CUR Safety Week 2023 | Day 2