Hato International Airport or Curaçao International Airport (formerly Dr. Albert Plesman International Airport) (IATA: CUR, ICAO: TNCC) is the airport of Willemstad, Curaçao. It has services to the Caribbean region, South America, North America and Europe. Hato Airport is a fairly large facility, with the third longest commercial runway in the Caribbean region after Rafael Hernández Airport in Puerto Rico and Pointe-à-Pitre International Airport in Guadeloupe. The airport serves as a main base for Insel Air.
Maps, Directions, and Place Reviews
History
World War II
During World War II, the airport was used by the United States Army Air Forces Sixth Air Force conducting antisubmarine patrols. Flying units using the airfield were:
- 59th Bombardment Squadron (VI Bomber Command) 10 March 1942 - 13 July 1943 (A-20 Havoc)
- 32d Fighter Squadron (36th Fighter Group, Antilles Air Command, XXVI Fighter Command) 9 March 1943 - 13 March 1944, (P-40 Warhawk)
- 25th Bombardment Group (VI Bomber Command), 1 August-5 October 1943
Later development
A new terminal was officially opened in 2006 and it accommodates a maximum of 1.6 million passengers per year.
Car Rental Curacao Airport Video
Airlines and destinations
Passenger
- ^1 PAWA Dominicana's flights operate to and from Aruba. However, the airline does not have cabotage rights to transport passengers solely between Aruba and Curaçao.
- ^2 TUI Airlines Netherlands's flights operate between Aruba, Bonaire, St. Maarten and Curaçao on selected days. However, the airline does not have cabotage rights to transport passengers solely between Aruba, Bonaire, St. Maarten and Curaçao.
Cargo
Coast Guard Air Station Hato
Located at the west side of Hato Airport there are hangars for the two Bombardier Dash 8 Maritime Patrol Aircraft and two AgustaWestland AW139 helicopters of the Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard. This was until 2007 a naval airbase of the Royal Netherlands Navy who operated the base for 55 years. With a wide variety of aircraft in the past years Fireflies, Avengers, Trackers, Neptunes, Fokker F-27's, P-3C Orions, Fokker F-60's and several helicopters. After the political decision to sell all Orions the airbase wasn't needed anymore.
The west end of the airport is a USAF Forward Operating Base (FOB). The base hosts AWACS and transport aircraft. Until 1999 the USAF operated a small fleet of F-16 fighters from the FOB.
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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