Curacao's Hato airport: solid tourism and a sound network profile

Curaçao Hato International airport is benefitting from the country's steady increase in tourism numbers, which is driving expanded service from the New York market, Colombia and direct flights to Trinidad.

The country's tourism body has calculated that tourism generated USD132.7 million for Curaçao's local economy during the first two months of 2019, which was a 10% increase year-on-year. Approximately 46% of that total is generated by visitors from Europe.

Data from CAPA and OAG show that as of late Aug-2019 Curaçao has service to 17 nonstop destinations: two in Europe, four in North America and 11 within Latin America. Curaçao's is the second largest air service market among the "ABC" islands - Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao.

The airport has also weathered the challenges faced by InselAir that ultimately led to the airline ceasing operations. It appears that some operators are working to fill that void, including the start-up JetAir Caribbean, which is working to gain certification from Curaçao's aviation authorities. There was little doubt that airlines would work to fill the void left by InselAir, given Curaçao's solidly growing tourism numbers.