Queen Beatrix International Airport Aeropuerto Internacional Reina Beatrix
Queen Beatrix Airport as seen from the sea
IATA: AUA – ICAO: TNCA
Summary
Airport type		Public
Owner		Aruba Airport Authority N.V.
Location		Oranjestad, Aruba
Elevation AMSL		60 ft / 18 m
Coordinates		12°30′05″N 070°00′55″W / 12.50139°N 70.01528°W / 12.50139; -70.01528Coordinates: 12°30′05″N 070°00′55″W / 12.50139°N 70.01528°W / 12.50139; -70.01528
Runways
Direction	Length		Surface
	ft	m
11/29	9,232	2,814	Asphalt

Queen Beatrix International Airport (IATA: AUA, ICAO: TNCA) (Papiamento: Aeropuerto Internacional Reina Beatrix), in Oranjestad, Aruba, is a fairly large aviation facility that has flight services to the United States, most countries in the Caribbean, the northern coastal countries of South America and some parts of Europe, notably the Netherlands. It was named after Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, the head of state of Aruba.

This airport used to serve as the hub for bankrupt airline Air Aruba, which was for many years an international airline. Before Aruba's separation from the Netherlands Antilles in 1986 it was also one of three hubs for Air ALM. The airport has a new airline, Tiara Air .

The airport offers US Border Pre-clearance facilities.

A terminal for private aircraft opened in 2007.

Airlines and destinations

Passenger airlines

A Continental Airlines Boeing 737-800 landing

US Airways Boeing 757 departing

Cargo airlines

Charter & seasonal airlines

World War II

During World War II the airport was used by the United States Army Air Force Sixth Air Force defending Caribbean shipping and the Panama Canal against German submarines. Flying units assigned to the airfield were:

• 59th Bombardment Squadron (9th Bombardment Group) 14 January-24 September 1942 (A-20 Havoc)
• 12th Bombardment Squadron (25th Bombardment Group) 10 October 1942–23 November 1943 (B-18 Bolo)
• 22d Fighter Squadron (36th Fighter Group) 2 September 1942-April 1943 (P-40 Warhawk)
• 32d Fighter Squadron (Antilles Air Command) 9 March 1943-March 1944 (P-40 Warhawk)

Incidents and Accidents

• 13 January 2010, an Arkefly Boeing 767-300 PH-AHQ operating flight OR361 from Amsterdam Schiphol Airport to Aruba Airport declared an emergency after a man who claimed to have a bomb on board insued a struggle with the flight crew, the aircraft made an emergency Landing at Shannon Airport. Gardai stormed the plane and arrested the man, where he was taken to Shannon Garda station. A passenger having had surgery earlier the month before collapsed in the terminal while waiting for the continuation of the flight and had to be taken to a local hospital. The repacment aircraft PH-AHY also a Boeing 767-300 continued the flight to Aruba.

The content above was published at Airports-Worldwide.com in 2010.
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