In 1937 an Air-traffic Radio Station was established and this became the first passenger handling building on the island. The building and the runway were located south-east of Oranjestad, on a terrain that was part of the Government aloe vera fields called Dakota; this name was adopted for the first commercial airport of the island.

From 1935 up to 1940 Aruba was connected internationally by air travel with Curaçao, Barbados, Trinidad, Paramaribo, Maracaibo, La Guaira (Maiquetia) and Miami.

Because of World War II, the US Air force established a base in Aruba in 1942. In that same year construction started on the south side of the runway for a new terminal building of the Dakota Airport.

The old terminal building from 1942 is still there, behind the fence of the airport, opposite Varadero Marina and Boat Yard on Bucutiweg.

After the war, the increase of visitors and the growing commercial traffic caused the existing terminal to be too small. The third terminal of the Dakota Airport was inaugurated in 1950.

On October 22, 1955 the Dakota Airport was renamed after Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands. The ceremony was carried out by her father, Prince Bernhard.

The fourth airport terminal of Aruba was built on the north-east side of the airfield and inaugurated in November 1972. The Queen Beatrix International Airport could handle the constantly growing numbers of passengers and accommodate jumbo jet aircraft.

The terminal building of the old Princess Beatrix Airport was gradually demolished after the establishment of the new building. What lives on however is the charm of this building from an era long gone, where security measures as we know them now did not yet exist, where passengers walked out towards the planes on the tarmac . . .

 . . . while their friends waved them good-bye from the open terrace. 

And beware . . .

“KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE ROAD!”

Cornelis Heemskerk, here seen in the company of His Royal Highness Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands, was the airport manager at the time.

He made a scrapbook and a photo album of everything published and photographed in the 1940s, 50s and 60s.