Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport
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The Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport ( IATA: SAB, ICAO: TNCS ) is the only airport on Saba, one of the three Dutch BES Islands in the Caribbean. He is considered one of the most dangerous airports in the world and is therefore particularly well-known among pilots.
History
The island of Saba was with her mountainous profile without major planar surfaces unsuitable for development with an airport. On February 9, 1959 ventured the aviation pioneer and later mayor of St. Barth, Rémy de Haenen ( 1916-2008 ), on a makeshift runway at Flat Point, a spectacular landing, thus demonstrating the possibility in principle to fly to the island with an airplane. Then in the early 1960s began on that very Flatpoint with the construction of an airport, which opened in 1963. The airport was named after Juancho E. Yrausquin, the then Minister for Finance and Social Affairs of the Netherlands Antilles, which had been used mainly for construction.
Information
The airport is considered due to its unfavorable geographical location and the extremely short runway as one of the most dangerous airports in the world, although so far no accident has become known. The only start and runway of the airport is marked with an " X" on both ends and thus closed for commercial flights. Only with special permission of the Dutch aviation authority of the airport may be served. The Caribbean airline Windward Islands Airways ( Winair ) is in possession of a dispensation.
The greatest danger from the airport position. On one side there is a steep up the mountain on the other side and fall on the two ends of the runway almost vertical cliffs down to sea level. Therefore, there is no possibility to roll out over the end of the runway out in an emergency, the aircraft, the aircraft would, like overthrow in an aircraft carrier into the sea.
The airport can be seen from some parts of the neighboring island of Sint Maarten. The distance between the two islands is around 50 kilometers.
The airport
Because the runway with 1,300 feet ( 396 meters) is very short, jets can not land on the airfield, also the propeller airplanes it can only be approached by STOL aircraft. Thus, the airport has probably the shortest commercially used runway in the world. The airport has a small apron and a terminal on the south side. On the apron there is a helipad. The terminal contains an office of Winair, the Office for immigration and security, a fire brigade with a vehicle and a tower. The Tower is a counseling service and does not provide air traffic control. Furthermore, there is no jet fuel on the island of Saba.
Flight operations
The only airline serving the airport, Winair, which performs several direct flights daily from its home airport Princess Juliana International Airport in Sint Maarten to Saba with a DHC- 6 Twin Otter. The flight takes about 15 minutes.
Swell
- Saba Conservation Foundation: Visitor Information "History of Saba ". ( Brochure on Saba's story)