🌴 One gateway connecting to the US East Coast, one gateway linking the island chain: two Caribbean ports take different paths
Both located in the eastern Caribbean, Sint Maarten and Barbados play markedly different roles as business aviation gateways. Avi-Go data shows that from early 2026 to July 24, business jet movements at Sint Maarten TNCM totaled 10,220, with traffic primarily sourced from South Florida—Miami at 227, Fort Lauderdale at 176, and West Palm Beach at 102 leading the pack, with New York and San Juan also making the top five. Over the same period, Barbados TBPB recorded 3,598 movements, with the top four departure cities all belonging to the Grenadines island chain: Mustique (279), Saint Vincent (255), Canouan (128), and Port Elizabeth (93), demonstrating a distinct regional short-haul profile. Notably, TNCM saw 758 more departures than arrivals, possibly pointing to one-way repositioning and empty legs.
Impact: TNCM is deeply tied to long-haul routes from the US East Coast, making its traffic highly sensitive to North American economic conditions and travel seasons; TBPB, by contrast, relies on short-haul cycles within the island chain, offering greater resilience to external fluctuations but a lower ceiling. The imbalance in departures and arrivals means TNCM operators must bear additional empty-leg costs.
Recommendation: FBOs and Brokers should design return-leg load plans for TNCM ahead of the North American holiday travel peak in 2026 (starting in November) to offset the surplus of 758 departures; operators serving TBPB can intensify short-haul charter products for the Grenadines island chain over the same period to lock in regional traffic.