Category: Press Releases

Willemstad, December 13, 2022 – Recently a promotional article featuring Curaçao has been published in a leading Brazilian newspaper, Estadão. The article promotes Curaçao as a “Paradise for everyone” and highlights all aspects of the destination from nature to entertainment and history to accommodations.

Estadão is owned by Agência Estado, which is an important news agency with an elaborate network in Brazil. This will generate additional exposure of the article and promote Curaçao as a tourism destination on a national platform.

The publication of the article was facilitated by CCR Aeroportos, the largest CAP (Curaçao Airport Partners) shareholder in partnership with the Ministry of Tourism and the Tourism Board. CAP and its shareholders are committed towards the continued enhancement and stimulation of tourism to Curaçao.

Click here to view the article (in Portuguese): https://www.estadao.com.br/economia/paraiso-para-todos-os-publicos/

Valuable knowledge and insights gained on sustainable aviation efforts

ORANJESTAD – After the community event held on November 11, 2022, at the Southside General Aviation Hangar, the Dutch Caribbean Cooperation of Airports (DCCA), a cooperation between all 6 Caribbean Airports within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, can look back on a successful 1st International Sustainable Air Transportation Event – A Flight to the Future.

The keynote speech, speakers, presentations, panel discussions and masterclasses held during the event have proven to be of immense value to the continued efforts of all the airports involved to venture into sustainable air transportation developments, solutions, and technologies in support of one of their main goals, sustainably improving the inter-island connectivity.

“The knowledge and insights gained during the event will further strengthen our efforts as Dutch Caribbean Cooperation of Airports to be innovative front runners on electric flying in the Caribbean region and making interisland air connections more sustainable, efficient, and affordable for the Dutch Caribbean communities. This will in turn further enhance the societies of the island nations taking the sustainable development goals of all into consideration”, said Joost Meijs, CEO of Aruba Airport Authority N.V. and DCCA Chairman on behalf of DCCA.

A total of 311 participants attended the in person conference throughout the week and 888 attended the event virtually. The community also came out in large numbers to view the Pipistrel Velis Electro and learn more about its capabilities and technology.

As one of the great accomplishments an historical Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed during the event between all four countries (Aruba, St Maarten, Curacao and The Netherlands)   of the Dutch Kingdom, six airports of the Dutch Caribbean and the Dutch Association of Airports (NVL), In this Memorandum of Understanding all signatories have expressed their commitment to improve the interisland connectivity by making it more affordable, efficient, and sustainable. As a result of this MOU the parties will form a steering committee and workgroup working on a Joint Business Plan describing how this ambition can be achieved and which hurdles need to be eliminated. This business plan will be delivered within seven months from the day of signing of this MOU.

On behalf of DCCA, chairman Mr. Joost Meijs sincerely thanks all contributors, participants and all support staff that have made this event possible and a grand success. A heartfelt thank you is also in place for all the speakers, panelists, moderators, stakeholders and finally all volunteers that participated in getting this event of the ground and successfully completed.

For more information on the conference held visit DCCA’s website at www.dccaairports.com

Date: November 14, 2022

ORANJESTAD – One of the key elements of the cooperation Agreement signed in April 2021 by the Chief Executive Officers and Managing Directors of all six commercial Airports within the Dutch Caribbean pertaining to the Kingdom of the Netherlands, is to collaborate towards sustainable, stable, and affordable air connections between the Dutch Caribbean airports.

In light of above goal, Aruba Airport Authority N.V. on behalf of DCCA will be organizing an international one-week “Sustainable Air Transportation Event” in Aruba in November 2022. During that week, DCCA aims to present future focused alternative air transportation options to improve interisland connectivity between the Dutch Caribbean Islands. The objective will be to get the public acquainted with currently available solutions and to start discussing the various options for sustainable aviation with representatives of companies, partners in aviation, education institutions, research institutions, governments, consultants, investors and with all of those who are generally interested in this subject.

For this event, together with Royal Netherlands Aerospace Centre (NLR), DCCA will be bringing in the NLR two-seater electric aircraft from Europe, which will be executing test flights from Aruba Airport. A group of regional students and interested local companies will get the opportunity to work on the preparations, assembly, and disassembly of the aircraft whilst the local community will also have an opportunity to visit the aircraft and receive explanation on its operation, benefits, and challenges. DCCA is also in contact with the authorities to streamline visions within the Kingdom, bring in knowledge and define how to support DCCA’s initiative.

During the event several topics will be addressed in seminars and workshops, such as:

1. Current research and future technology developments worldwide, related to sustainable aviation: electric and other alternatives to fossil fuel-based aviation
2. Business opportunities and challenges for Airports and Airlines when becoming more sustainable
3. Possibilities of a “public transport” approach in connecting the islands

CEO of Aruba Airport Authority N.V., Mr. Joost Meijs, indicated that DCCA looks forward to the November 2022 event and the active support and participation of several Dutch Caribbean and international stakeholders. “An improved, sustainable and affordable interisland connectivity network will stimulate island hopping tourism, labor markets, healthcare services and enhance social networks”.

Should your organization have an interest in collaborating on ideas, participation, or other suggestions for the November 2022 event, please contact DCCA Advisor, Mrs. Angeline Flemming at a.flemming@airportaruba.com

A Flight to the Future  

ORANJESTAD – “The month has finally arrived where the Dutch Caribbean Cooperation of Airports (DCCA) will kick off the 1st International Sustainable Air Transportation event – A Flight to the Future – being held between 6 – 11 November 2022. “We are excited to welcome both local and international attendees from the Dutch Caribbean islands, The Netherlands and the (Latin) America region to share knowledge and create dialogue on the future of aviation and also on interisland connectivity in the Dutch Caribbean. We are honored to be able to host this event in Aruba and are more than proud to have the first electric flights in the Caribbean with the Pipistrel Velis Electro performed during that week” said Joost Meijs, CEO of Aruba Airport Authority N.V., as DCCA Chairman.

The Dutch Caribbean Cooperation of Airports (DCCA) is a cooperation between all six Caribbean Airports within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. DCCA’s objective is to improve the general quality of each individual airport by facilitating mutual assistance and efficient exchange of information, transfer of knowledge and sharing of expertise with the goal of achieving economies of scale. DCCA aims to present future focused alternative air transportation options to improve interisland connectivity between the Dutch Caribbean Islands and is organizing the 1st international Sustainable Air Transportation event called – A Flight to the Future – in Aruba from November 7 through 11, 2022.

During the entire event week, speeches and presentations will be given, panel discussions will be held, masterclasses will be provided, and daily electric flight demonstrations will be performed with the Pipistrel Velis Electro at Aruba Airport. The Pipistrel Velis Electro is the 1st certified electric aircraft in the world. The knowledge shared during the week of the event will be different each day. Key themes will be:

• Discover the Undiscovered, focusing on Sustainable Aviation,
• Built for Experience, focusing on Sustainable Tourism,
• Pushing the limits: changing the Future, focusing on Sustainable Airport Operations,
• Reality Check, focusing on current Research and Investments,
• and Connecting Generations, which will give the local community the chance to experience the Pipistrel Velis Electro up close.

Participants to A Flight to the Future event include a wide variety of local and international stakeholders within the aviation and tourism industry of the Dutch Caribbean islands and the wider Latin America & Caribbean region. These include airport colleagues, airline CEOs, tourism authorities, Civil Aviation authorities, education partners, environment partners and persons representing entities that in one way, or another will positively impact travel between the islands in the (near) future.

Free virtual registrations are still available for the event which is set to be livestreamed via YouTube on November 7 through November 10, 2022. For more information on the event and the virtual registration, please visit our DCCA website www.dccaairports.com .

Date: November 1, 2022

Memorandum of Understanding signed between Dutch Caribbean islands, and The Netherlands.
Parties share a vision on improving interisland connectivity by making it more affordable, efficient, and sustainable.
ORANJESTAD – This morning at the Hyatt Regency Resort Spa & Casino Aruba, the Dutch Caribbean Cooperation of Airports’ 1st International Sustainable Air Transportation event – A Flight to the Future – was opened. In-person and virtual participants to the event were welcomed by the Minister of Transport, Integrity, Nature and Senior Affairs Ursell Arends, followed by Mrs. Brigit Gijsbers, Director General Aviation and Maritime Affairs of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management of the Netherlands and by the Chairman of DCCA, Mr. Joost Meijs, CEO of Aruba Airport. The main theme for this first day was Discovering the undiscovered focusing on the future of Sustainable Aviation. The keynote speech was delivered by Mr. Jorge Rosillo, Corporación América and CEO of the Cargo Terminal of Ecuador, TCE and the Galapagos Ecological Airport, the 1st ecological airport in the world. Mr. Rafael Echevarne, Director General of Airports Council International of the Latin America and Caribbean, and Mrs. Marieke Smit, Program Manager Sustainable Aviation at the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management in the Netherlands also gave a presentation on the roadmap to e-flight.

An historical milestone was reached at the start of this morning’s event with the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between the six Dutch Caribbean islands, the Netherlands, the six airports of the Dutch Caribbean and the Dutch Association of Airports (NVL). This MOU mainly empowers these islands to explore and establish affordable, efficient, and sustainable air connectivity between Curacao, Aruba, St. Maarten, Bonaire, St. Eustatius, and Saba and, more specifically, to explore and stimulate the use of emission-free powered flights to execute the aforementioned air connectivity. A total of 15 dignitaries of the 6 island nations and The Netherlands expressed their commitment to the memorandum and agreed on forming a steering committee and action group working on a Joint Business Plan how this ambition can be established. This business plan will be delivered within seven months of signing the MOU.

The upcoming conference days will focus on interesting and important sustainability topics within the following main topics: Built for Experience focusing on Sustainable Tourism, Pushing the limits: changing the Future focusing on Sustainable Airport Operations, Reality Check focusing on current Research and Investments, and Connecting Generations, which will give the local community the chance to experience the Pipistrel Velis Electro up close.

Free virtual registrations are still available for the event which will be live streamed via www.dccaairports.com/live on November 7 through November 11, 2022. For more information on the event and virtual registration, please visit our DCCA website www.dccaairports.com.

Date: November 7, 2022

Shaping and implementing the shared vision of the DCCA

ORANJESTAD – On November 7, 2022, the historic milestone of signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Dutch Caribbean islands, the Netherlands, the six airports of the Dutch Caribbean and the Dutch Association of Airports was celebrated. This MOU formalizes a commitment of this partnership to explore and establish affordable, efficient, and sustainable air connectivity between Curacao, Aruba, St. Maarten, Bonaire, St. Eustatius, and Saba and, more specifically, to explore and stimulate the use of emission-free powered flights to operate the aforementioned air connectivity.

DCCA Task Force
As agreed in the MOU, all CEO’s of the DCCA (Dutch Cooperation of Caribbean Airports) recently determined the constellation of the Task Force. This Task Force will be tasked with developing a Joint Strategic Plan (JSP) for improving the interisland connectivity.

The Task Force will include aviation experts and professionals with at its core Mrs. Marieke Smit (Royal Schiphol Group) as Program Manager, Mrs. Suzy Kartokromo (St. Maarten Airport) as assistant Program Manager, Mrs. Jo-Anne Meaux-Arends (Aruba Airport) and Mrs. Peggy Croes (Curacao Airport), both for business development, Mrs. Christine Driessen (Bonaire Airport) for airport infrastructure/charging stations and standards, and Mr.Vishal Oedjaghir (St Eustatius Airport/Saba Airport) as PSO expert. As such all islands of the Dutch Kingdom are duly represented and will be working on reaching the end goal of the MOU signed back in November of 2022.

Task Force deliverables
Before the end of 2023, this Task Force will deliver a Joint Strategic Plan with, besides a clear indication how to reach the end goal of a more affordable, efficient and sustainable interisland connectivity network with a concrete timeline and milestones, the following deliverables:

1. The feasibility and establishment of an interisland innovation center for sustainable aviation, to stimulate and facilitate the use of zero emission powered flights for air connectivity between these islands;

2. Possibilities, means and measures to achieve a smooth, seamless and efficient flow of passengers on interisland flights at the airports of the CAS and BES islands, including easing the entry/exit requirements by use of biometrics and digital identification technological advancements or otherwise;

3. Recommendations on necessary changes of laws, regulations and policy pertaining to the end goal;

4. Recommendations on how to make interisland travel more affordable for the public.

The progress of the Task Force will be overseen by a Progress Committee, which will consist of the Kingdom Countries Aviation Steering Group (‘Regiegroep Luchtvaart voor de Koninkrijkslanden’) and the CEO’s of the DCCA airports. The Dutch Civil Airports Association (‘Nederlandse Vereniging van Luchthavens’) will also appoint a representative in the Progress Committee.

Joost Meijs, CEO of Aruba Airport Authority N.V. and chairman of the DCCA: “It is great to see that collectively we have been able to define a strong Task Force with aviation professionals from the Caribbean and international world. I am convinced that together and with the support of all islands and countries of the Dutch Kingdom we will improve the interisland connectivity in all aspects”.

About the DCCA
The Dutch Caribbean Cooperation of Airports (DCCA) is a cooperation between all six Caribbean Airports within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. DCCA’s objective is to improve the general quality of each individual airport by facilitating mutual assistance and efficient exchange of information, transfer of knowledge and sharing of expertise with the goal of achieving economies of scale. DCCA aims to present future focused alternative air transportation options to improve interisland connectivity between the Dutch Caribbean Islands.

Date: January 31, 2023

Willemstad, October 2, 2022  ̶ Curaçao Airport Partners (CAP) is proud to announce the successful completion of its second annual Safety, Security and Environmental Awareness Week, which took place September 26-30, 2022.

The goal of this initiative was to encourage CAP employees and members of the airport community to adopt safe and secure work practices that are also environmentally friendly and sustainable. This leads to a safer environment, not only for employees, but also for all stakeholders, passengers and visitors at the airport.

The entire week was focused on creating more awareness on safety and security in and around the airport through an extensive program of online presentations and interactive learning and sharing activities. The resulting knowledge exchange was extremely valuable in order to learn from the expertise and experience of professionals and experts in the field. This year there were also some speakers from abroad, including the keynote speaker at the opening event of the week, Mr. Sheldon Harper, who is Manager of the Airports Authority of Trinidad and Tobago’s Aviation Training Centre (ATCEN). During the week, Mr. Harper also conducted some workshops on the topics of landside security and crisis management. Furthermore, there were also some professionals from Aruba who gave presentations through the week.

“I am especially pleased that we have our speakers from the Aruba Airport Authority joining us this year, to share their knowledge with us,” said Mr. Jonny Andersen, CEO of CAP. He continued, “This solidifies the cooperation agreement that we signed last year among the six Dutch Caribbean Airports. This agreement aims to improve the general quality of each individual airport by facilitating mutual assistance and efficient exchange of information, transfer of knowledge, and sharing of expertise, which is exactly what we are doing during this awareness week.”

At the end of the week, employees and stakeholders at the airport got together for the FOD Walk, to help scan and clean the entire apron area of the airport, and they were joined by members of the press and the Minister of Traffic, Transport and Urban Planning, Mr. Charles Cooper. FOD stands for Foreign Objects and Debris, so during this walk, all the participants helped to remove any garbage and/or debris that might be a hazard for the safety of airplanes and vehicles on site.

The CAP team is very satisfied and looks back on a successful and fruitful week, in which the interest of all participants was high, and the entire airport community benefitted from the additional knowledge and awareness that was acquired. This will continue to be practiced during daily airport operations in order to ensure that everyone who comes to our airport is kept safe and secure at all times. We look forward to the third edition of this Awareness Week, in which we will invite all stakeholders of the airport community to participate again next year.

Chairman of the Board wants to contribute more to Curaçao’s airport & community

Willemstad, September 27, 2022  ̶  Curaçao Airport Partners’ new Chairman of the Board, Mr. Fábio Russo Corrêa, who’s also the CEO of CCR Aeroportos, CAP’s majority shareholder, together with new CEO, Mr. Jonny Andersen, recently visited several stakeholders, among which the Minister of Traffic, Transport and Urban Planning, Mr. Charles Cooper and Minister of Economic Development, Mr. Ruisandro Cijntje. The visits served to introduce the new Chairman of the Board, who was visiting Curaçao from Brazil.

During the meetings, these CAP leaders discussed the company’s plans to enter a new era of development and growth, as they prepare to provide a new direction to the business. They indicated that the pandemic, which caused CAP to go through a very difficult period, served to provide a new perspective and determination to introduce needed changes and implement innovative ideas and initiatives for the airport to be better prepared for the future.

Therefore, CAP has started a strategic process of 100 days to determine a new course for the company and give guidance to move towards its goals for the next five years. This strategy is planned to be finalized by mid-November 2022 and presented to the Board of Directors for approval. Upon completion of this process, the Chairman of the Board intends to travel to Curaçao again in order to present the new strategy, together with Mr. Andersen, to the ministers of Traffic, Transport and Urban Planning and Economic Development.

To support the new strategy, the Board is planning to become much more involved with CAP and contribute increasingly more to the Curaçao airport and the community of Curaçao. The intention is to go above and beyond what is required according to the DOMA license agreement to operate the airport. The Board wants to contribute for instance to make the airport more welcoming, support air traffic development including an increase in air freight (cargo), and also focus on electric aviation with an eye on sustainability and future growth. There are also plans to implement an international marketing campaign in Brazil, in order to support an island wide strengthening of tourism.

This means that the Board is seeking a more active role in the development of the airport, thereby functioning as a partner to CAP. It also signifies the start of an exciting new era for the Curaçao airport, in which we look forward to leading the way towards further advancement and a bright future ahead.

Aerodrome cleared of out of service airplanes

Willemstad September 4, 2022 — Arriving passengers, visitors, stakeholders, plane spotters and all who visit the surroundings areas of the Curaçao International Airport to enjoy the fascinating world of aviation, will surely notice a change in the view of the aerodrome area.

Last Friday, Curaçao Airport Partners (CAP) has finally completed a long ongoing process since 2019, which was to clear its aerodrome area of aircraft that are no longer in function for airlines or by private owners. According to CAP, these have not only been taking up space but also giving a less than desirable view for tourists arriving or departing the island through our airport.

As part of the plans to continue improving and beautifying our airport, CAP has been working diligently to finalize this legal process of removing these aircraft.

“For many years, arriving passengers to our island via our airport have been seeing a view of deteriorating aircraft right here, practically on the runway. These have not been in use for so long and some of them have been pretty much rusting away. We want everyone to have a great first impression when arriving to our island. This is why we are extremely happy to have accomplished this goal of clearing our aerodrome of aircraft which did not belong there and finally be able to proceed with planned projects for the enhancement of our airport, while also improving the work environment of all those who labor around the area”, said Mr. Jonny Andersen, the newly appointed CEO for CAP.

From a total of nine aircrafts, one was already removed in 2019 and brought to the scrapyard, while after a long pause due to the pandemic, the remaining ones have been handled for demolition or other purposes throughout this year. Last Friday, this project was now completed with the removal of the last three aircrafts to the east side of the airport for further handling.

“We are ready for the airport of the future. Each completed project such as this milestone we’ve now achieved, brings us closer to the vision we have for our airport. We are excited for what is coming as we work together to continue growing”, Mr. Andersen ended.

Willemstad, August 31, 2022 – The Shareholders of Curaçao Airport Partners (CAP) have named Mr. Jonny Andersen the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Curaçao Airport Partners (CAP), effective September 1, 2022.

Andersen’s background as an executive director, combined with his strong track record of progressive experience in the aviation industry, will help to further strengthen and advance the service and performance for CAP.

During his career, Andersen has held the position of CEO at Kenya Airports Authority in Kenya, Director National Airports at Avinor in Norway, and Senior Vice President Ground Operations at AirBaltic in Latvia. With more than two decades of extensive aviation experience and expertise in leading change, directing airport and ground operations, providing business transformations, and managing projects, Andersen is an accomplished and articulate leader.

Andersen is a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society and has served on numerous aviation industry boards and committees including Airports Council International Africa Board of Directors (ACI Africa), the Association of European Airlines infrastructure standing committee (AEA), the IATA AGSA task force, the Board of Directors at Røros Flyservice AS (now Aviator airport Alliance AB), and Havaş Ground Handling Company Europe.

CAP is thrilled to welcome Mr. Andersen as the new CEO and is sure that he will bring his experience, knowledge, and leadership ability to implement innovative ideas and initiatives, as he provides a new direction to the company. Under his leadership, CAP looks forward to a vibrant and flourishing future for the company.