Three new gates at Aruba airport must be ready in December
ORANJESTAD – The three new gates with jet bridges at the international Reina Beatrix Airport must be delivered in December. According to Aruba Airport Authority, construction is currently proceeding on schedule. The expansion is intended to give the airport more capacity to handle the growing number of passengers and flights.
Members of the Supervisory Board visited the construction site last month to assess progress. According to the airport, work is advancing steadily and the new departure hall is gradually taking shape.
The expansion is part of phase 1B of Gateway 2030, the multi-year programme for the renovation and modernisation of the airport. The construction work is taking place around the existing gates 8 and 9.
Three gates will be added where passengers can board directly from the terminal via a jet bridge. In addition, the airport will receive three so-called bus gates. At those gates, travellers are transported by bus to aircraft parked further from the terminal building.
Waiting areas will also be enlarged and more seating will be added. The project furthermore includes wider corridors and additional shops, restaurants and other catering facilities.
More space needed
According to the airport, the expansion is necessary because passenger numbers are growing faster than previously anticipated. Particularly during busy departure hours, congestion occurs at check-in desks, security checkpoints and existing waiting areas.
With the three new jet bridge gates, the airport will be able to handle more aircraft at the terminal simultaneously. The three bus gates are intended to provide extra capacity when all regular gates are occupied.
The new facilities are not only meant to increase capacity, but also to prevent passengers from having to wait long periods in crowded areas. The exact number of additional passengers the airport will be able to handle after the expansion has not been disclosed.
Earlier delays
Phase 1B previously experienced delays. In the 2025 annual report, the airport stated that the project had been brought back on track and was being executed at an accelerated pace. The completion date was set at December 2026.
According to that same annual report, construction was on course at the end of 2025 to be completed within budget and in the fourth quarter of 2026. The airport did warn at the time that timely delivery remained a significant risk, citing limited staffing capacity within both the project organisation and the contractor.
The announcement following the supervisory board visit suggests that these issues have not yet resulted in a new delay. However, the airport has not disclosed a current completion percentage or a separate cost figure for phase 1B.
Gateway 2030
Gateway 2030 encompasses multiple renovation projects at the airport. An earlier phase delivered, among other things, a new departure hall for passengers travelling to the United States and a new baggage system. That system can process up to 2,000 bags per hour, according to the airport.
Following phase 1B, further expansion of the check-in hall and central security checkpoint is planned. The remaining works have been consolidated into phase 2, which is currently scheduled to be completed by the end of 2030 at the latest.
According to the Aruban government, the full programme involves more than 500 million florins. This amount covers all components of Gateway 2030 combined, not just the three new gates.
