Martinique Airport

Martinique’s Aimé Césaire Airport is the second-busiest airport complex in the French West Indies, after Guadeloupe-Pôle Caraïbes. Situated 12 km from Fort-de-France in the Lamentin commune, Martinique Aimé Césaire Airport is capable of handling 1,800 passengers per hour and can handle up to 1,900,000 travelers per year.

It can accommodate regular flights to the Caribbean, America and European destinations with a variety of airlines. Stretching over 28,000m2, the single terminal building at Martinique-Aimé Césaire Airport is fully air-conditioned and has a large check-in hall of 2,500m2. Martinique-Aimé Césaire Airport also has a professionally equipped commercial center and an open-air carpark that can house more than 1,600 cars. You’ll find a pharmacy, a medical clinic, a money exchange booth and several cash point machines inside the terminal.

New Airport Expansion Project

Martinique’s highly successful Caribbean destination seeks expansion and upgrading of its airport.
Martinique Airport Authority has submitted proposals for its latest airport expansion scheme, which would almost double the airport capacity.
The airfield seeks to « redefine the airport experience of passengers and deliver a fulfilling and secure interaction for travelers » with plans to complete the project by 2020.

This expansion will begin at the airport’s western and eastern ends. The western process will see the addition of new check-in desks, a new national flight boarding lounge, expanded security screening to minimize waiting times, and the repositioning of car rental facilities.
The project will include the construction of a new boarding lounge with:

• Nearly 11,000 square feet of additional space on the east side of the airport;
• The development of two additional loading bridges;
• A new departure lounge and a new baggage-sorting zone.

The rise in foreign tourist arrivals has made the island’s airport one of the fastest growing in the Caribbean, handling 1.86 million passengers last year. The airport projects this handling to increase to 2 million passengers by 2021.

Facilities

At Martinique Airport, traveler amenities include police and customs services, baggage claim help, pharmacies, a vaccination bureau, facilities for the disabled, tobacconists, banks with money changing, souvenir shops, tax-free shopping, gift shops, florists, a hairdresser, car rental facilities, taxis, parking, restaurants, cafés and bars, as well as two hotels (Hôtel La Galléria and Hôtel Valmenière).
Cargo facilities include a Boeing 747-freighter dock, bonded warehouse, transit zone, mechanical handling, heated storage, refrigerated storage, mortuary, fresh meat inspection, health officials, very large/heavy cargo accomodation and an express/courier centre.

Martinique’s Airport Seeing Strong Growth

According to recently released figures, traffic statistics for Martinique Aimé Césaire Airport indicate increased traffic into the island.
In November 2018, the airport reported a 5.51 percent rise in traffic over November 2017, taking the number of passengers transported from the start of the year to 1,783,431.
Inbound travlers from France reported a 6.89 percent increase in the month of November.

According to authorities, French Guyana arrivals rose by 27.74 percent with the arrival of a new destination provider, Norwegian.
Every winter season, Norwegian offers a wide variety of flights from cities like Toronto, New York, and Fort Lauderdale to Martinique.
Another airline, Delta, has been operating flights out of Atlanta, which included a stopover in Martinique.

With 18,332 passengers in November 2018, international traffic is up 21.72 percent compared to 15,061 this time last year, officials state.
Nonetheless, the « Other Airports » division of the airport, which mostly refers to North American destinations, reported a 46.6 percent rise, maintained by Norwegian’s portfolio.

Screening Measures

The Martinique Tourist Board, and the Martinique International Airport closely monitor the entry points of the island to prevent COVID-19 from spreading, ensuring the good health of its citizens and tourists.
As confirmed by the Regional Health Agency’s chief, following the H1N1 flu outbreak, the island is and remains in Stage 1 of a three-step preventive plan developed by the French Government in 2009. Step 1 constitutes protection, guaranteeing that all precautions and protocols are in place:

• Passengers disembarking from a cruise are routinely screened. Anchorage is no longer allowed for smaller private boats; they must head to port to be inspected by the Martinique National Health Department.
• Health protocols are ensured at both marinas and minor ports and are strongly enforced.
• As of Thursday 5th of March, the Provincial Health Agency of Martinique is imposing sanitary steps with the help of firefighters.
• Prevention notice signs have been posted at the airport since the 29th February and these signs are issued to airline passengers before landing as of March 4th.
• Additional sanitary inspectors have been sent throughout the airport.

Martinique’s airport will meet your expectations!

All airports are not the same. Despite them all operating with the common goal of transporting passengers to where we plan to go, some are clearly doing better work than others.
The airport will help you look forward to your adventures a long time before you get to your destination!