As part of the development of the Saint-Martin island area, local authorities stated their political orientations and the promotion of their air service. This goal implies developing the Grand-Case airport platform.

As such, this operation abides by the principles of the European Union’s regional policy by contributing to the struggle against the local enclosing caused by its natural island features.

Equipped with a 1,200 m x 30 m landing strip and a ramp over 9,000 m², the Saint Martin Grand-Case airport currently welcomes 220,000 passengers every year. In charge of the airport exploitation, EDEIS wishes to develop air traffic over the next few years. Therefore, it must endeavour to keep its airport installations in optimal state and adapt them to the growing quantity of aircraft motions.

For that purpose, the good state of runways, which are the major elements of an airport, is essential to ensure passenger security. In 2017, an audit survey was conducted, which revealed the necessity to start resurfacing works in order to improve lift, grip and the state of road surface.

This operation consists in strengthening passenger areas and aircraft capacity on the Grand-Case airport platform through:

• resurfacing existing runways,
• expanding the landing strip on the Grand-Case side,
• draining (regravelling and reshaping of clearance zones affected by hurricanes Irma, José and Maria in September 2017).
• and day and night guidance equipment.

Saint-Martin island is divided into a French territory and a Dutch territory. Therefore, the airport project was conceived in complement of existing airport services on the Dutch side.

For this operation the total amount of which is € 9,799,765.04, EDEIS Aéroport de Grand-Case received a € 4,899,882.52 EFDR subsidy. Self-financing for € 4,899,882.52 completed the financing plan.