Princess Juliana International Airport

Most visitors to the French side fly into Princess Juliana International (SXM) on the Dutch side, which handles the island's international flights. There are no border checks between the two sides, so you can drive straight from SXM to Marigot, Grand Case or Orient Bay; the drive to Marigot usually takes 20 to 30 minutes.

Yes. Princess Juliana International (SXM) is the island's main airport, and travelers call it St. Maarten, Sint Maarten or St. Martin airport. The French side has a small airfield at Grand Case for short regional flights, but flights from the United States, Canada and Europe land at SXM.

Maho Beach is at the end of SXM's runway, a short walk or a couple of minutes by car from the terminal building. It is known for planes passing low over the sand as they land, and the hotels at Maho and nearby Cupecoy are the closest to the airport.

Philipsburg, the Dutch-side capital and cruise port, is east of the airport over the hills. A taxi or private transfer usually takes 20 to 30 minutes, longer at rush hour, when traffic builds around Simpson Bay and the approach to town. There is no direct bus from the terminal.

Yes. Every visitor fills in the free online Embarkation/Disembarkation (ED) form on the official site, entry.sx, before travel. One person can fill in forms for a family, but each traveler needs their own, using the same passport shown on arrival. Avoid third-party sites that charge for it.

SXM has one terminal building for every scheduled flight. It was rebuilt in stages after Hurricane Irma in 2017: the check-in area reopened in January 2024 and the new arrival hall, with updated immigration, baggage claim and customs, reopened in October 2024.

American Airlines, Delta, JetBlue, United, Southwest, Frontier and Sun Country fly from the United States; Air Canada, WestJet and Air Transat from Canada; and Air France, Air Caraïbes and KLM from Europe. Copa flies to Panama City, and Winair, InterCaribbean, Caribbean Airlines and others connect SXM with neighboring islands.

No. Uber and Lyft do not operate on the island. From the airport you can take a taxi from the dedicated lane outside the terminal, rent a car from the counters near the arrival hall, or arrange a pre-booked transfer so a driver is waiting when you land.

Taxis wait in their own lane outside the terminal building. Fares are fixed rather than metered and are paid in cash, with U.S. dollars accepted, so confirm the fare for your destination before you set off. Taxis go to both the Dutch and French sides of the island.

Yes. The Princess Sky Lounge is in the departure hall near Gate A1, open daily from 6:30 to 19:00. Priority Pass and LoungeKey members, and business class or SkyTeam Elite Plus passengers on Air France, KLM or Air Caraïbes enter free, and other passengers can pay at the door.

No. The airport says baggage storage is not available at SXM, so plan to keep your bags with you or leave them at your hotel. Independent porters can help carry luggage through the terminal for a small fee per bag, and lost items should be reported to the airport's Lost and Found Section.

The Dutch side's official currency is the Caribbean guilder, which replaced the Netherlands Antillean guilder in 2025, but U.S. dollars are accepted almost everywhere there. The French side uses the euro. Taxis from the airport take cash, and U.S. dollars are accepted.

St. Maarten and the French side both use Atlantic Standard Time (UTC−4) all year, with no daylight saving time. That means the island matches U.S. Eastern Daylight Time in summer and is one hour ahead of New York in winter, so check your flight times carefully.