Hato International Airport
Encyclopedia
Hato International Airport or Curaçao International Airport (originally named Dr. Albert Plesman International Airport) 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
and Pointe-à-Pitre International Airport
). The airport was the hub of Air ALM
and its successor Dutch Caribbean Airlines
, the flag carriers of the former Netherlands Antilles
until the latter ceased operations in 2004. The airport is now the home base of Dutch Antilles Express
and Insel Air
.
A new terminal was officially opened in 2006 and it accommodates a maximum of 1.6 million passengers per year.
, the airport was used by the United States Army Air Force Sixth Air Force conducting antisubmarine patrols. Flying units using the airfield were:
After the political decision to sell all Orions the airbase wasn't needed anymore.
And west of the air station the US Air force operate a Forward Operating Base (FOB) mostly operate AWAC's and transport aircraft. Until 1999 the US Air force operated a small amount of F-16's from the FOB.
Willemstad
Willemstad can refer to:*Willemstad, the capital of Curaçao*Willemstad , a town in Moerdijk, the Netherlands*Willemstad , a hamlet near Marum, the Netherlands*Willemstad , a hamlet in the Netherlands...
, Curaçao
Curaçao
Curaçao is an island in the southern Caribbean Sea, off the Venezuelan coast. The Country of Curaçao , which includes the main island plus the small, uninhabited island of Klein Curaçao , is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands...
. 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
Rafael Hernández Airport
Rafael Hernández Airport is an airport located in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. It is named after the Puerto Rican composer Rafael Hernández Marín. The airport is the second international airport in Puerto Rico in the region of Porta del Sol, Puerto Rico's west coast.Rafael Hernandez Airport mainly...
and Pointe-à-Pitre International Airport
Pointe-à-Pitre International Airport
Pointe-à-Pitre International Airport or Pointe-à-Pitre Le Raizet Airport is an airport serving Pointe-à-Pitre on the island of Grande-Terre in Guadeloupe. The airport is located in Abymes, north-northeast of Pointe-à-Pitre. It is the main hub for Air Caraïbes and Air Antilles Express. It is the...
). The airport was the hub of Air ALM
Air ALM
ALM Antillean Airlines was the main airline of the Netherlands Antilles between its foundation in 1964 and its shut-down in 2001, operating out of Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao....
and its successor Dutch Caribbean Airlines
Dutch Caribbean Airlines
Dutch Caribbean Airlines was an airline based in Curaçao, part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It was founded after the demise of Curaçao's first airline, Air ALM...
, the flag carriers of the former Netherlands Antilles
Netherlands Antilles
The Netherlands Antilles , also referred to informally as the Dutch Antilles, was an autonomous Caribbean country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, consisting of two groups of islands in the Lesser Antilles: Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao , in Leeward Antilles just off the Venezuelan coast; and Sint...
until the latter ceased operations in 2004. The airport is now the home base of Dutch Antilles Express
Dutch Antilles Express
Dutch Antilles Express is a regional airline of the former territory of Curaçao. It operates high-frequency scheduled services in the Dutch Caribbean and to Venezuela, Colombia, and the Dominican Republic. Its main base is at Hato International Airport, Curaçao. The head office is at Pietermaai,...
and Insel Air
Insel Air
Insel Air International B.V. ' is an airline based in Willemstad, Curaçao. It has Hato International Airport in Curaçao as its home base. Insel is German for island...
.
A new terminal was officially opened in 2006 and it accommodates a maximum of 1.6 million passengers per year.
Airlines and destinations
Charter & seasonal airlines and destinations
World War II
During World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the airport was used by the United States Army Air Force Sixth Air Force conducting antisubmarine patrols. Flying units using the airfield were:
- 59th Bombardment Squadron59th Bombardment SquadronThe 59th Bombardment Squadron is a United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment wa with the 319th Bombardment Group, based at Birmingham Airport, Birmingham, Alabama...
(VI Bomber CommandVI Bomber CommandThe VI Bomber Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Sixth Air Force, based at Albrook Field, Canal Zone...
) 10 March 1942-13 July 1943 (A-20 Havoc) - 32d Fighter Squadron32nd Air Operations SquadronThe 32d Air Operations Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with 32d Air Operations Group, based at Ramstein Air Base, Germany...
(36th Fighter Group36th WingThe United States Air Force's 36th Wing is the host wing for Andersen Air Force Base, Guam. It is part of United States Pacific Air Forces Thirteenth Air Force...
, Antilles Air CommandAntilles Air CommandThe Antilles Air Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Sixth Air Force, based at Borinquen Field, Puerto Rico...
, XXVI Fighter CommandXXVI Fighter CommandThe XXVI Fighter Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Sixth Air Force, based at Albrook Field, Canal Zone...
) 9 March 1943-13 March 1944, (P-40 Warhawk)
- Detachment operated from: Dakota FieldQueen Beatrix International AirportQueen Beatrix International Airport , in Oranjestad, Aruba, is an aviation facility. It has flight services to the United States, most countries in the Caribbean, the northern coastal countries of South America, Canada and some parts of Europe, notably the Netherlands...
, ArubaArubaAruba is a 33 km-long island of the Lesser Antilles in the southern Caribbean Sea, located 27 km north of the coast of Venezuela and 130 km east of Guajira Peninsula...
, 9 March 1943-9 March 1944 - Detachment operated from: Losey Army AirfieldLosey Army AirfieldLosey Army Airfield is a former United States Army Air Forces World War II air base on Juana Díaz, Puerto Rico. It is located on the southern coast of Puerto Rico....
, Puerto RicoPuerto RicoPuerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
, 9 March-4 June 1944- 25th Bombardment Group25th Tactical Reconnaissance WingThe 25th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing is an inactive United States Air Force wing. Its last duty assignment was at Chambley-Bussieres Air Base, France.-History:...
(VI Bomber CommandVI Bomber CommandThe VI Bomber Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Sixth Air Force, based at Albrook Field, Canal Zone...
), 1 August-5 October 1943
- 25th Bombardment Group
Coastguard Air Station HATO
Located at the west side of Hato Airport there is a small hangar for the 2 Dash-8 patrol aircraft of the Coast Guard Netherlands Antilles & Aruba. 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, PC-3 Orions, Fokker F-60's and several helicopters.After the political decision to sell all Orions the airbase wasn't needed anymore.
And west of the air station the US Air force operate a Forward Operating Base (FOB) mostly operate AWAC's and transport aircraft. Until 1999 the US Air force operated a small amount of F-16's from the FOB.