Fort Orleans International Airport

Fort Orleans International Airport Terminal 1

**Fort Orleans International Airport** (French: *Aéroport international de Fort Orléans; Dutch: Internationale luchthaven van Fort Orleans*), is the primary international airport of The Mauritsian Republic, located in the province of Waalwijk, on the island of Maurits. It is situated several kilometers east of Fort Orleans, the capital city of the The Mauritsian Republic. It opened in 1964.

## History

The airport opened in 1964 near the city of Deft, Waalwijk, by the Dutch authorities of Maurits, in order to serve the capital of the Islands, Fort Orleans. Today it is the primary airport of the islands, and among the largest in the region.

During the COVID-19 pandemic Mauritsair was left as the only airline operating regularly scheduled flights, however the destinations & frequencies were severely limited, as a result, Terminal 2 was temporarily closed and all operations were shifted to Terminal 1. In addition, the airport was used by Mauritsair, Air France & several other airlines to temporarily store aircraft.

## Passenger Terminals

#### **Terminal 1**

Terminal 1 is the older terminal, originally constructed by the Dutch in 1967, in a T shape with one pier jutting out onto the ramp with boarding gates located on either side. During the 1980's & 1990's tourism boom on the island, the airport gained a reputation as a poorly maintained & organised facility that suffered from overcrowding & mismanagement, the airport has a capacity of roughly 4 million people per year, but rarely has seen this figure since the opening of Terminal 2 during the late 1990's. The terminal features 6 gates, of which 2 are usable for international flights and are connected to the Passport Control facilities in the departure lounge and customs & immigration facilities upon arrival. The terminal is today, rather dated, however it was refurbished in ,1980, 1994 & 2008. As of June 2020, the terminal mainly hosts domestic & regional flights, and operates far below capacity, as a result, there is consideration being given to the idea of closing the terminal to passengers and consolidating all operations in Terminal 2. As of June 16th 2020, Mauritisian Airlines will become the primary tennant of the terminal, launching all of their operations exclusively from this terminal.

#### **Terminal 2**

Terminal 2 is the latest terminal, having opened in 1996 following an extensive construction & planning project undertaken by French Architect Paul Andreu. The terminal was built to relieve the strain on the first terminal caused by the tourism boom, however the terminal opened just as the tourism sector was entering a decline. The terminal is significantly larger than the first terminal to accommodation the anticipated growth in aviation in Maurits, and was innovative for the region at the time, boasting 16 departure gates & an additional 10 remote gates, a variety of retail & food opportunities and world-class immigration & security facilities. The airport today handles the bulk of passenger flights operating at the airport, being the home of Mauritsair. As of June 2020 the airport usually operates at about 60% of its capacity during the tourism season.

## Airlines & Destinations

**¹** KLM flights to Amsterdam have a stopover in Los Angeles, however passengers cannot travel solely between Fort Orleans & Los Angeles has the airline does not possess fifth freedom rights for this sector.